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NY S08585
Bill
Status
11/17/2025
Primary Sponsor
Brian Kavanagh
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AI Summary
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Authorizes the Attorney General to sue "responsible parties" (fossil fuel companies with $500+ million in annual revenue or market capitalization) to recover insurance assessments, premium surcharges, and costs arising from climate disasters
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Allows insurers and the New York Property Insurance Underwriting Association to bring civil actions against responsible parties to recover damages, restitution, court costs, and attorney's fees for climate disaster losses
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Defines "climate disaster" broadly to include fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, and other events where climate change was a contributing factor to the event's frequency, severity, or extent
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Imposes strict liability on responsible parties for damages, meaning plaintiffs do not need to prove negligence or intent
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Requires insurance rate-making to consider any proceeds recovered through these climate disaster lawsuits when setting premiums
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Establishes a three-year statute of limitations from when harm was or should have been discovered, and prohibits courts from awarding attorney's fees to defendants in these actions
Legislative Description
Provides that the attorney general may bring a civil action against a responsible party for recovery of certain costs and assessments arising from a climate disaster; provides that an insurer doing business in this state and the New York property insurance underwriting association who has suffered harm as a result of a climate disaster may bring a civil action against a responsible party.
Last Action
REFERRED TO INSURANCE
1/7/2026