Bickering Big Apple couples could soon flood upstate New York — but not for vacations.
Divorce lawyers and the state court system are bracing for an influx of filings in regions where courts will begin taking new cases next week under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s PAUSE order.
And with New York City’s courts still on hold, Gothamites cooped up with their ex-loves may look upstate for a venue to dissolve their marriages, according to lawyers.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a significant increase in the filings of matrimonial cases — in the counties that have been opened — by persons that don’t live there, including New York City lawyers,” Manhattan divorce lawyer Michael Stutman told The Post.
Upstate courts in 30 counties that have met safety benchmarks laid out by the governor will open up for new cases next Monday and next Wednesday, New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore announced Wednesday.
“For people who are ready to get divorced and want to get their own apartment … and start the whole process. They may want to file and say ‘I’m done. I don’t care if we have to file upstate and then change the venue later. Let’s do it!'” said city divorce lawyer Douglas Kepanis.
“If no other county is accepting uncontested divorces or other divorce matters then you have nothing to lose by submitting your divorce to a court that’s actually open.”
The move to file outside of ones home county needs to be agreed upon by both parties in order for it to stick, Stutman explained.
Otherwise, it will likely end up back in one of the parties’ home counties, both lawyers said.
Not only will the upstate counties be open for new divorces but they will also be accepting new lawsuits. Those courts’ judges and staff will return to the courthouses albeit with new coronavirus measures in place such as mandatory masks, social distancing and frequent sanitizing.
State courts spokesperson Lucian Chalfen confirmed that lawyers from New York City could file new cases in the reopened courts — and that the state is bracing for impact.
“We are monitoring that to see if it becomes overwhelming,” Chalfen said.
Experts previously told The Post that they anticipate a flood of divorces once courts reopen as couples who have been cooped up together during the pandemic realize “they can’t stand each other,” lawyer Suzanne Kimberly Bracker said at the time.
The courts’ partial closures have also wreaked havoc on custody arrangements as bickering estranged couples lost their referees — judges.