Matthew L. Berman
Class actions · Employment · Civil rights
(516) 203-7180

Coverage

Press

Coverage of cases I have worked on. Headlines are the publications’ own.

On this page: Dorce v. City of New York · Charles v. City of New York (Open Streets) · Fanfair v. Knipel

Dorce v. City of New York

In September 2026 the parties in this class action over the City’s Third Party Transfer program moved for preliminary approval of a proposed $60 million settlement for the Round 10 class. The settlement is subject to court approval. Co-counsel: Yolande I. Nicholson, Ropes & Gray LLP, White & Case LLP. Each entry also links to a permanent archived copy.

News

Firm announcement

Charles v. City of New York (Open Streets)

Twelve New Yorkers with disabilities sued in the Eastern District of New York under the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act and New York human rights law, alleging that the City’s Open Streets program cut off the vehicle access they depend on. In March 2026 the court denied the City’s motion to dismiss. The case is pending.

News

Fanfair v. Knipel

Under CPLR 3408, a homeowner facing a residential foreclosure without a lawyer is deemed to have asked the court to proceed as a poor person, a request that can lead to appointed counsel. The class petition alleged that the Kings County foreclosure part and the Office of Court Administration were not deciding those deemed requests, so homeowners went through settlement conferences unrepresented. The case settled in March 2024: the court system agreed to decide eligibility for counsel before settlement conferences and to put the law’s protections into practice. We brought it as public-interest work. Read more about the case. Co-counsel: New York Civil Liberties Union, Yolande I. Nicholson, P.C., Mehri & Skalet PLLC.

News

Settlement announcement

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