Anti-Discrimination Lawyers Can’t Acquire Clients’ Accord Rights

Attorneys in New York can’t benefit from a settlement agreement in a case they’re currently working on, even if they won’t obtain that stake until after the litigation is over, the Second Circuit said Thursday.

Upholding a lower court order, the three-judge panel rejected efforts by a pair of plaintiffs in an affordable housing lawsuit to assign their rights under an accord to their attorneys at the New York City-based Anti-Discrimination Center, which aims to prevent housing and other types of discrimination through advocacy and litigation.

The center continues to represent the plaintiffs in connection with the underlying litigation ...