Danielle E. Caminiti Esq.

04/21/2022

Queens Supreme update on non-e-filed motions - these will be in person starting Monday, April 25th. Additionally, the Trial Scheduling Part (TSP) which has been moved to Room 22, is hearing city cases on Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. The calendar is 5 regular cases at 9:30 a.m. and 10 city cases in TSP on Thursdays.

Any coverage questions on this and any other county in New York, please contact me at [email protected]. My team of competent and reliable attorneys and I are available to cover virtual and in-person appearances and depositions.

02/16/2022

Attached is Chief Judge Janet DiFiore’s most recent biweekly briefing dated February 14, 2022.

Highlights:

* Social distancing guidelines have decreased from 6’ to 3’ to facilitate to have more in-person trials and proceedings and reduce backlog. Hopefully this will soon be extended to Civil and Family Courts.

* Masks are still required to be worn by judges, staff and the public.

* The 2022 State of Our Judiciary will be delivered virtually, this Wednesday, February 16th, at 10 a.m. on nycourts.gov

We are available to cover in-person or virtual appearances in all 62 counties and depositions, which remain virtual at this juncture, or to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

[email protected]

02/05/2022

Attached is the latest memo on how Compliance Conferences will be run in Queens County. Similar to Preliminary Conference Orders, Compliance Conference Orders will be automatically generated by the Court and sent to all parties (and uploaded to NYSEF if it’s an e-filed case). No appearances will be required unless requested by the parties via e-mail to the e-mail address listed in the CC Order and granted by the Court to work out discovery issues prior to the Note of Issue being filed.

Kindly contact me if you have any questions. [email protected]

09/08/2021

Attached is the link to latest message from Chief Judge Janet DiFiore on the status of the NY Courts dated 9/7/21.

https://nycourts.gov/whatsnew/pdf/Sept7-CJ-Message.pdf

Highlights:

A systemwide mandatory vaccination program for judges & nonjudicial staff will be effective on Monday 9/27/21. Under this program, absent a valid medical or religious exemption, all judges and nonjudicial staff will be required to provide proof of having received at least one dose of the vaccine by 9/27 with weekly testing required thereafter until two weeks after full vaccination. Judges and staff who receive a medical or religious exemption to the vaccine will be required to submit proof of COVID testing on a weekly basis, and exemption request forms are being made available this week.

Notably, there was no mention or timeline of when NYC courts will be opening up for further in-person operations given these stricter mandates.

We remain available for all in-person and virtual court needs and depositions, EUO’s and hearings in all 62 NY counties.

Stay well and always have something cooking.

[email protected]
https://haveucovered.com

Ms. Caminiti, who has been admitted to the bar since 2001, has been a per diem attorney since 2013 and currently appears in Queens daily and Long Island City on Thursdays, however she and her team cover Supreme and Civil Courts in Manhattan, Kings, Staten Island, Bronx, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester,...

08/24/2021

Attached is the latest biweekly briefing on the status of the NY Courts dated 8/23/21.

Highlights:

* Starting September 7th, there will be mandatory weekly COVID testing for those judges & non-judicial employees who have not yet enrolled in the court system’s mask policy program & submitted proof of their vaccinated status.

* Fully vaxxed court staff who have submitted proof of vaccination and received an orange I.D. card will be exempt from the testing program.

* Notably, Judge DiFiore stated that with the FDA giving full approval to one or more of the COVID vaccines & many public and private employers having announced their intention to mandate the vaccination of their workforces, after much discussion & deliberation, the Court intends to do the same. When and how this will play out is another story, and it was not mentioned in her briefing.

* A new program is being launched in the Criminal Court & is Supreme Court in NYC, to target and fast-track the backlog of felony gun possession cases. It will be overseen by Judge George Grasso, the new Admin. Judge for Criminal Matters in Queens Supreme.

We remain available for all remote and in-person appearances & EBT’s in all of NY.

[email protected]

08/09/2021

Attached is the latest biweekly briefing on the NY Courts by Chief Justice DiFiore dated August 9, 2021.

https://nycourts.gov/whatsnew/pdf/August9-CJ-Message.pdf

The briefing was silent as to the rate with which additional court parts will be opening. Right now in NYC it seems to be just trial assignment parts for older civil cases and even that is on a limited basis. I appeared in Queens Supreme TSP this morning and it’s great to see many familiar, even if masked, faces.

Judges and non-judicial staff and attorneys who are vaccinated may go maskless with a card. Unvaccinated judges and non-judicial staff and attorneys have to be screened regularly for Covid. Those who wish to continue wearing masks irrespective of vaccination status may, of course, do so. The mandates may change with the potential FDA full approval for vaccines.

The virtual system is still being utilized for conferences and motions and we are told will always supplement in-person court proceedings.

Please feel free to reach out for court appearance or EBT coverage, questions or concerns anywhere in NY.

[email protected]
https://haveucovered.com

Stay well and safe!

-Danielle

07/27/2021

Please find the latest biweekly briefing from Chief Justice DiFiore about the NY Courts dated 7/26/21.

In sum, Judge DeFiore referenced updated updated “Protocol for Entering Courthouses” for judicial & non-judicial staff, lawyers & public, including passes for fully vaccinated individuals (mask removal & exemption from health safety protocols, including temperature checks).

As of today, all arraignments- day/night/weekend- are again taking place in-person in NYC & across most of NYS. Very limited Supreme Civil court appearances are taking place in person & it seems only in the trial assignment parts. Justice DiFiore stated that the number of in-person jury trials continues to expand- with a significant increase in jury trials planned for September. I can tell you that in Queens Trial Scheduling Part (TSP) this means 20 cases/day, Mon-Thurs. mornings & 5 cases on Fridays. This is a drop in the bucket compared to pre-Covid TSP calendars. Trial dates are being given for October. In-person Jury Coordination Part (JCP) in Kings is supposedly starting Wednesday 7/28.

The re-opening of further court parts & case backlogs are NOT addressed. We do know that the virtual system will, in some capacity, be permanent.

We are available virtually & in person for EBTs and court appearances in all 62 New York counties.

https://haveucovered.com

07/14/2021

Self-employed attorneys and courts’ interests are not necessarily aligned as evidenced by this article. Many may be forced into the realm of being an employee versus being an employer. Others may pursue different non-legal avenues altogether. Uncertainty abounds for many, and unfortunately, it doesn’t get any more transparent with the passage of time.

While a New York Office of Courts Administration spokesman claimed no city courthouses were closed and none were refusing to admit the public, Daily News reporters were politely barred Friday from walking into court buildings in both Brooklyn and the Bronx.

06/22/2021

Attached please find Chief Justice DiFiore’s message on the NY Courts dated 6/21/21.

It is worth reading the entire transcript (or listening to the whole video) to notice what is omitted: All routine civil appearances in Supreme Court. This may clue you in to understand the full context of priorities in the courts.

“Senior” judges who sued because they were denied certification due to age discrimination are now re-instated. They will handle, among other matters, some of the backlog of Family Court issues. Notably, the Courts with many pro-se litigants (Family, Housing & NYC Civil Courts) are all extremely backed up. It remains to be seen how the Courts plan on tackling this backlog. All we are told is that the virtual system is here to stay. Whether and to what extent routine in-person appearances will resume in Supreme Court is anyone’s guess. All we heard about thus far in terms of in-person appearances in NYC courts is only related to criminal case arraignments and civil jury trials.

We continue to keep a close watch on all continuing developments. Please contact us with any questions or concerns, and if you should require any coverage for depositions or court appearances.

https://haveucovered.com
[email protected]

05/25/2021

Attached please find the latest memo from Chief Justice Janet DeFiore regarding the status of NY Courts dated 5/24/21.

Judges and staff are back in NYC courthouses as of 5/24. The virtual system remains but the court is preparing for increased in-person, yet staggered operations. Masks will be required by all, as will temperature checks, social distancing, and screenings.

Have U Covered is available for all in-person and virtual court appearances and depositions in all 62 NY Counties. Contact us if you need any assistance uploading orders or just have a question on procedure.

https://haveucovered.com
[email protected]

https://www.nycourts.gov/whatsnew/pdf/May-24-Message.pdf

03/30/2021

Attached please find the latest update from Chief Justice DiFiore on the status of the NY Courts dated 3/29/21.

Highlights:

-Nearly 2,000 New Yorkers reported for jury service last week in NYS. In the 1st week of a limited return of in-person jury trials, NYC had 5 cases tried to verdict, 3 are in progress & 15 resulted in settlements/plea bargains. 1 case was adjourned & another was dismissed.

-Outside NYC, 4 cases were tried to verdict, 6 trials are still in progress, 9 others resulted in settlements or plea bargains & several others were converted to bench trials/adjourned. This coming week, there are 28 jury trials scheduled statewide, fewer than last week due to the Passover/Easter holidays.

-While DiFiore said she was pleased at the restart of in-person jury trials, she also noted the success of their virtual court proceedings last week as nearly 1,300 virtual bench trials & hearings commenced; judges & staff remotely conferenced almost 24,000 matters; settled/disposed of about 5,700 of those & issued > 2,400 written decisions on motions & other undecided matters.

-DiFiore devoted a large portion of her update today to discuss initiatives to bolster trust between state court officers & their communities.

https://haveucovered.com

http://www.nycourts.gov/whatsnew/pdf/March29-CJ-Message.pdf

03/24/2021

Attached please find the latest briefing from Chief Justice Janet DiFiori dated March 22, 2021 on the status of the NY Courts.

Highlights:

1. Civil & criminal jury trials resumed statewide on Monday after being put on hold in November due to the resurgence of COVID-19. In NYC, 26 jury trials began – 19 civil & 7 criminal – in all 5 boroughs. Outside NYC, the state court system scheduled a total of 27 trials – 18 criminal & 9 civil – that began across all judicial districts statewide. Administrative judges have been working diligently to make sure that there are back-up cases ready in case any of the other scheduled trials settle or plea bargain.

2. Backlogs exist & large numbers of new filings are expected, especially in the Family and Housing Courts, brought on by the pandemic, especially when the existing moratoria on evictions are lifted, as well as in response to reported increases in family violence, neglect & abuse of children, child support, custody & visitation issues due to the economic hardships & social restrictions caused by the pandemic.

We continue to be available for all your virtual & in-person court coverage and EBT needs. Kindly e-mail me at [email protected]

Stay safe and well.

https://haveucovered.com

http://nycourts.gov/whatsnew/pdf/March22-CJ-Message.pdf

Ms. Caminiti, who has been admitted to the bar since 2001, has been a per diem attorney since 2013 and currently appears in Queens daily and Long Island City on Thursdays, however she and her team cover Supreme and Civil Courts in Manhattan, Kings, Staten Island, Bronx, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester,...