Sher Tremonte Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of 25 Members of the New York State Legislature In Support Of Domestic Violence Survivors’ Right To Full and Fair Sentencing Hearings

On November 6, 2025, Sher Tremonte LLP filed an amicus curiae brief in the New York Court of Appeals on behalf of 25 members of the New York State Senate and Assembly.  The amicus brief was filed in People v. Nicole Hudson, in support of the defendant, a domestic violence survivor.

In its amicus brief, Sher Tremonte argues that it is contrary to the legislative intent of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act – a law enacted in 2019 to allow courts to consider survivors’ history of abuse in crafting a fair sentence – for a prosecutor to condition a plea bargain on the waiver of a domestic violence survivor’s right to the hearing at which the sentencing judge would hear evidence of the survivor’s abuse.

Sher Tremonte worked closely with the office of Senator Julia Salazar – the current Chair of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction – who coordinated the group of legislators who supported the brief.

Read the brief here.