New lawsuits and divorces can be filed electronically in New York City, Long Island, Westchester County and other county Supreme courts beginning on Monday — after weeks of pause for coronavirus closures, officials announced.
Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks said beginning on Memorial Day, “e-filing through the [New York State Courts Electronic Filing] system — including the filing of new non-essential matters — will be restored in those counties of the state that have not yet met the benchmarks required to participate in the Governor’s regional reopening plan.”
Marks said these include the five counties comprising New York City, as well as Nassau, Suffolk, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties.
“This expanded use of NYSCEF will permit a significant broadening of civil litigation in a manner that continues to ensure the highest measure of health and safety to judges, court personnel and the public,” Marks said Wednesday in a letter to state judges.
While the Supreme courts will be opening up to electronic filings in new cases, housing courts, lower civil courts, and criminal courts in these counties are not yet accepting new non-essential cases, according to state courts spokesman Lucian Chalfen.
The moratorium on new cases began in late March amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with courts closing to all but emergency and essential matters.
Last Monday, upstate counties that have met the Governor’s safety benchmarks reopened for judges and court staff to return to work and court cases to resume, albeit with new coronavirus measures in place.