Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill Friday that would have altered the state’s “wrongful death statute.”
The change would have made it easier for families to file claims in court after losing a loved one due to negligence, like medical malpractice, and permit them to sue for emotional damage.
Under the current 175-year-old law, families can only cite "economic hardship" caused — rather than damages caused by pain and suffering.
Small businesses, insurance and healthcare companies opposed the measure, arguing it could not only drive up costs, but also lead to bankruptcy.
Hochul previously vetoed another version of the bill last year, pointing to the unknown cost and effect on the health care system.
The New York State Trial Lawyers Association said the move denies victims their day in court and puts corporate profits over patient safety.
"Governor Kathy Hochul's veto of the Grieving Families Act is a grave miscarriage of justice that puts the safety of New Yorkers in jeopardy and upholds a perverse standard of morality in current New York law," said NYSTLA President David Scher.