NY S00176

Creates a new civil cause of action allowing individuals to sue any person or public entity acting under color of law that deprives them of rights secured by the federal or state Constitution or laws

Eliminates qualified immunity defenses, explicitly stating that good faith belief in lawfulness or lack of clearly established law cannot be used as defenses to liability

Requires courts to award reasonable attorney fees and costs to prevailing plaintiffs, including those whose lawsuit acted as a catalyst for change in defendant's conduct even without a formal judgment

Authorizes the Attorney General to bring civil actions on behalf of injured parties, with any damages awarded distributed to the injured party

Mandates that public entities indemnify their employees for any liability or judgments arising from claims under this section, and sets a three-year statute of limitations