The National Rifle Association filed a lawsuit Friday against New York’s governor and a state agency, accusing them of coercing banks and insurance companies to withhold services to the gun lobbying group.
The lawsuit, filed in US District Court for Northern New York, came days after the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) fined several insurance companies hundreds of thousands of dollars for participating in an NRA-backed liability insurance program for gun owners.
The state also also secured agreements from those companies not to offer such insurance again.
The National Rifle Association’s (NRA) Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre speaks during the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference on February 22, 2018. (Credit: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
In its lawsuit, the NRA alleges that this — and other actions — showed Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state DFS were unconstitutionally trying to force companies to disassociate from the lobby group.
And the suit contends the state’s actions “prevents, or at a minimum chills,” the First Amendment rights of the NRA and its members to free speech — including their right to speak freely about gun-related issues.
“Simply put, defendants made it clear to banks and insurers that it is bad business in New York to do business with the NRA,” the lawsuit states.
The suit alleges this amounts to a “blacklisting campaign (that) will continue to damage the NRA and its members” if the court doesn’t act.
State urged banks, insurers to review relationships with NRA
The plaintiff also points to an April news release[1] in which Cuomo called on the DFS to urge insurers and banks in New York “to review any relationships they may have with the National Rifle Association.”
The release noted that a number
