New York Court Interpreter Pay Case Hinges On State Immunity

Claims that court interpreters were paid discriminatory wages in New York are likely barred by the state’s sovereign immunity—an argument that the state failed to make in its motion to dismiss.

Southern District of New York Judge Ronnie Abrams noted on Monday that the state didn’t raise sovereign immunity in its motion to dismiss from August 2022, to which New York Assistant Attorney General Steven Sutro said he wasn’t sure how “that fell through the cracks.” Sutro did address the sovereign immunity question in a letter sent to Abrams this past May.

Nevertheless, Abrams said that courts have repeatedly held ...