Matthew L. Berman
Employment, class action and civil rights lawyer
(516) 203-7180Get an estimate

Coverage

Press

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

On this page: Articles I have written · Dorce v. City of New York · Chalmers v. City of New York · Parking production assistant cases · Charles v. City of New York (Open Streets) · Fanfair v. Knipel

Articles I have written

Dorce v. City of New York

Case page: timeline, decisions and counsel.

On October 21, 2026, the court granted preliminary approval of a proposed $60 million settlement for the Round 10 class in this class action over the City’s Third Party Transfer program. A final approval hearing is set for May 5, 2027. Co-counsel: Yolande I. Nicholson, Ropes & Gray LLP, White & Case LLP. Each entry also links to a permanent archived copy where one could be made.

News

Firm announcement

Chalmers v. City of New York

A race-based pay class action for FDNY Fire Protection Inspectors in the Southern District of New York (No. 20-cv-3389). Under the settlement the City agreed to pay $29,907,500 into a settlement fund (settlement website), and the court granted final approval in March 2025. Our firm was court-appointed co-class counsel. News reports from 2023, when the agreement was first announced, give $29.2 million.

News

Parking production assistant overtime cases

Overtime actions in the Southern District of New York, beginning in 2015, by the workers who hold parking and secure locations for film and television shoots, against major studios and networks. The cases produced more than $28 million in documented settlements. I was lead attorney.

News

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.

Video

CBS New York: “Disability advocates file lawsuit against NYC Open Streets program.” Plaintiffs describe how the program affects them; I speak at the end. Watch on YouTube.

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

For reporters. For comment on a case, contact me here. Results depend on the facts and law of each case.