Provides for privilege and confidentiality of communications with members of a judicial assistance committee created by state or local bar association.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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6618
IN SENATE
March 5, 2012
___________
Introduced by Sen. BONACIC -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to confidential communi-
cations with judicial assistance committees
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 499 of the judiciary law, as added by chapter 327
2 of the laws of 1993, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 499. Lawyer and judicial assistance committees. 1. Confidential
4 information privileged. The confidential relations and communications
5 between a member or authorized agent of a lawyer assistance committee or
6 judicial assistance committee sponsored by a state or local bar associ-
7 ation and any person, firm or corporation communicating with such
8 committee, its members or authorized agents shall be deemed to be privi-
9 leged on the same basis as those provided by law between attorney and
10 client. Such privilege may be waived only by the person, firm or corpo-
11 ration which has furnished information to the committee.
12 2. Immunity from liability. Any person, firm or corporation in good
13 faith providing information to, or in any other way participating in the
14 affairs of, any of the committees referred to in subdivision one of this
15 section shall be immune from civil liability that might otherwise result
16 by reason of such conduct. For the purpose of any proceeding, the good
17 faith of any such person, firm or corporation shall be presumed.
18 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14653-01-2
