The Legal Aid Society called on New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to implement an indefinite eviction moratorium. This call comes in response to remarks made by Anthony Cannataro, Administrative Judge of New York City Civil Court, on a zoom call with stakeholders where he confirmed that the New York State Office of Court Administration (OCA) will not extend the eviction moratorium past October 01, 2020, leaving this matter up to Governor Cuomo and the Legislature.
“Without action, thousands of families from across the state will face inevitable eviction come October, losing their homes just in time for the expected second wave of CoViD-19,” said Judith Goldiner, Attorney-in-Charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society. “Aside from the host of moral reasons demanding action, from a policy perspective, allowing evictions to proceed will undoubtedly perpetuate the spread of CoViD-19, as families will flood crowded homeless shelters. This will erode the sacrifices that have been made in New York to contain the virus. We call on Governor Cuomo and the Legislature to act at once.”
Earlier this month, Governor Cuomo issued an executive order which allowed OCA to halt proceedings through October 01, 2020. However, other jurisdictions have imposed eviction freezes that go beyond what New York has implemented including Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington and Washington, DC. Specifically, Seattle issued an Executive Order that extended the eviction moratorium until December 31, 2020 or through the end of the state of emergency, whichever is earlier. In New Jersey, all evictions are stayed until 60 days after the state of emergency is lifted.
About The Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society exists for one simple yet powerful reason: to ensure that New Yorkers are not denied their right to equal justice because of poverty. For over 140 years, we have protected, defended, and advocated for those who have struggled in silence for far too long. Every day, in every borough, The Legal Aid Society changes the lives of our clients and helps improve our communities.
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