Cal. Civ. Code § 300
Construction
Operative Text
§ 300. Construction. The provisions of this article shall be construed liberally for the accomplishment of the remedial purposes thereof, regardless of whether federal civil rights laws, including those laws with provisions worded comparably to the provisions of this article, have been so construed. Exceptions to and exemptions from the provisions of this article shall be construed narrowly in order to maximize deterrence of discriminatory conduct. Nothing contained in this article shall be deemed to repeal any of the provisions of the civil rights law or any other law of this state relating to discrimination; but, as to acts declared unlawful by section two hundred ninety-six of this article, the procedure herein provided shall, while pending, be exclusive; and the final determination therein shall exclude any other state civil action based on the same grievance of the individual concerned. If such individual institutes any action based on such grievance without resorting to the procedure provided in this article, he or she may not subsequently resort to the procedure herein.
N.Y. Exec. Law § 300 establishes that the anti-discrimination protections in Article 15 of the New York Human Rights Law are to be read broadly, in favor of protecting people from discrimination, regardless of how comparable federal civil rights laws have been interpreted. Any exceptions or exemptions carved out of those protections are to be read narrowly, so that the law's deterrent effect is maximized. Importantly, once a person chooses a legal path to address an unlawful act covered by § 296—either the administrative procedure under this article or a separate state civil lawsuit—that choice is generally binding, and the two paths cannot both be pursued for the same grievance.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under N.Y. Exec. Law § 300, property owners and managers should understand that courts and agencies will interpret the Human Rights Law's protections expansively and any claimed exemptions from those protections narrowly. Operators who believe a specific exemption applies to their property or conduct should be aware that such exemptions receive limited scope under this construction rule. Compliance-minded operators generally document their policies and practices carefully, knowing that the burden of establishing an exemption is treated strictly under § 300.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
N.Y. Exec. Law § 300 is designed to work in favor of individuals who have experienced housing discrimination, directing that their protections be read as broadly as possible. Tenants should be aware that § 300 also contains an election-of-remedies rule: if a complaint is filed through the Human Rights Law's administrative procedure for a violation of § 296, a separate state civil lawsuit based on the same grievance is generally foreclosed, and vice versa. Tenants who believe they have experienced discrimination may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney to understand how this procedural choice could affect their options before taking formal action.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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