Implements "Cassie's law" which provides a private right of action for crime victims against persons or private entities who suppress evidence of a crime in exchange for monetary compensation.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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10597
IN ASSEMBLY
June 20, 2024
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Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Cunningham)
-- read once and referred to the Committee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the general obligations law, in relation to implementing
the "Cassie's law"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "Cassie's law".
3 § 2. Article 5 of the general obligations law is amended by adding a
4 new title 18 to read as follows:
5 TITLE 18
6 CERTAIN CONTRACTS RENDERING CRIMINAL ASSISTANCE VOID
7 Section 5-1801. Certain contracts rendering criminal assistance void.
8 § 5-1801. Certain contracts rendering criminal assistance void. 1. For
9 the purposes of this section, a person or private entity "renders crimi-
10 nal assistance" when, with intent to prevent, hinder or delay the
11 discovery or apprehension of, or the lodging of a criminal charge
12 against, an alleged offender who such person or private entity knows or
13 believes has committed a crime or is being sought by law enforcement
14 officials for the commission of a crime, such person or private entity
15 suppresses, by any act of concealment, alteration or destruction, any
16 physical evidence which might aid in the discovery or apprehension of
17 such alleged offender or in the lodging of a criminal charge against
18 such alleged offender in exchange for monetary or non-monetary compen-
19 sation.
20 2. Every undertaking or promise, whether written or oral, express or
21 implied, constituting or contained, in any contract or agreement to
22 render criminal assistance between any individual or private entity, is
23 hereby declared to be contrary to public policy and wholly void. The
24 victim of a crime, who was the subject of the undertaking or promise,
25 whether written or oral, express or implied, constituting or contained,
26 in any contract or agreement to render criminal assistance between any
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15746-02-4
A. 10597 2
1 individual or private entity, shall have a right of private action
2 against such individual or private entity.
3 3. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to abrogate or otherwise
4 limit any right or remedy otherwise conferred by federal or state law.
5 4. A cause of action under this section shall be commenced no later
6 than five years from the date a crime victim discovers, or reasonably
7 should have discovered, such concealment of a crime by either a person
8 or private entity.
9 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
