On Friday 3/20/2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Cuomo of New York issued Executive Order 202.8 which tolls the time limits for numerous legal deadlines until April 19, 2020. The order applies to civil cases including personal injury, criminal cases and family court matters, among many other legal matters. While it extends the time that you have to take action and puts a pause on proceedings that have already been commenced, you should talk to your attorney right away to find out how it will apply to your case and the next steps that you should take.
Types pf Cases Affected
The order applies to many areas of law including, but not limited to:
- Criminal procedure law
- Family court act
- Civil practice law and rules
- Court of claims act
- Surrogate’s court procedure act
- Uniform court act
In these and many other matters, it tolls the time limit for:
- Commencement
- Filing
- Service of any legal action
- Notice
- Motion
- Other process or proceeding
Personal Injury Victims
Individuals who have been injured and are considering or planning to seek compensation through a personal injury lawsuit should not delay in talking to a personal injury attorney. Although in-person meetings should be avoided, most business can currently be conducted by phone or video conference. While your deadline for filing a lawsuit has been extended, time limits will resume, and if you wait too long you will lose your opportunity to pursue fair compensation. Injury claims require extensive investigation and gathering of evidence, and some of this work can still be taking place while we wait for court business to resume.
Driver’s License, Registrations and other Extensions
In addition to court matters, the executive order gives people more time to renew their drivers licenses, identification cards, and vehicle registrations that on or after March 1, 2020. This includes:
- Driver’s license
- Non-driver identification card
- Registration for motor vehicle, trailer, motorcycle, snowmobile, vessel, limited use vehicle, and all-terrain vehicle (ATV)
- Temporary registration issued by auto dealer
Businesses are getting a break, too, from holding required
shareholder meetings in a physical location.
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