Mamdani backs bill to let New Yorkers sue over unfair practices
Power Act would give consumers and nonprofits private right to sue companies for unfair or abusive conduct, shifting enforcement toward communities
NEW YORK (MNTV) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is backing legislation that would let consumers and nonprofit groups sue companies over unfair and abusive business practices, shifting some enforcement power from government agencies to New Yorkers.
The Power Act, expected to be introduced by Council Member Harvey Epstein, would create a private right of action for conduct deemed unfair or abusive — a significant expansion, since such claims can currently be pursued only by the state attorney general.
“Our administration will not sit back while New Yorkers are taken advantage of,” Mamdani said.
Consumer-protection commissioner Samuel Levine said the broader standard could reach harms existing deception laws miss — from voice-cloning scams aimed at older people to faulty facial-recognition systems that flag shoppers as thieves — and could let tenant unions bring collective cases against landlords, including around withheld deposits, potentially bypassing arbitration clauses.
Consumer advocates welcomed it as a way to close an enforcement gap as regulators’ resources shrink; the New York City Bar Association has separately recommended a private right of action. Business groups warned of a litigation surge: an Uber spokesperson said it could effectively let lawyers define the rules through lawsuits.
Levine acknowledged the city could never pursue every case, arguing private enforcement would add a layer of accountability where agencies cannot reach.
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