New York has passed a COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act. No foreclosure action may be initiated until at least May 1, 2021 if a borrower submits a hardship declaration to the foreclosing party. In December 2020, New York passed the COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act. At that time, the act stopped…
JUDGE ORDERS DACA PROGRAM OPENED TO NEW ENROLLEES The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was enacted by the Obama administration in 2012. It provides protection from deportation to non-citizens brought to this country as children; who have grown up here, yet lacked legal status; and who enroll in this valuable program. It provides…
SCTPVA introduces TPLEAS The Suffolk County traffic parking and violations agency (SCTPVA) recently started using a new system called TPLEAS. This system is an Online Dispute Resolution system for certain traffic tickets. A court clerk told me that SCTPVA recently mailed out 25,000 notices which looked something like the below notice. The SCTPVA sent these…
Landlord tenant eviction & bankruptcy If you are facing an eviction, call an experienced attorney right away to protect your rights. Call Ronald S. Cook, Esq. 1-888-275-2620 When a landlord starts the eviction process, a tenant can use bankruptcy to deal with the eviction. The timing of things is very important. A tenant should retain…
Mediation, instead of Litigation, BECAUSE of the pandemic? The pandemic restrictions have triggered more alternative dispute resolutions in the place of litigation. Federal, state, and local laws and legal systems are adapting as quickly as possible to new realities in the wake of the pandemic, but not fast enough. The courts, cornerstones of our government’s…
Electric bills increase, Look into Solar Many people have recently received a notice from their electric company indicating that the cost of electricity is SIGNIFICANTLY going up at this time. Clearly electric companies are passing on their significant costs or repairs from the most recent storm. I know people that have told me their electric…
“Cutting a deal with creditors” A credit card collection agency was calling an individual non-stop seeking a payment on an old debt. The individual asked me to contact the creditor to try to negotiate a settlement. I was able to get the creditor to accept a significant discount to resolve the debt. That is not…
Mediator vs. Attorney in a divorce In the current Covid-19 environment some things with the courts just do not make sense. If a lawyer files an uncontested divorce, there are several legal steps that need to occur. If that same uncontested divorce is filed by a MEDIATOR, then a lot less steps need to occur….
Before Going to a Hospital Nine Things to Know Before Going to a Hospital (from a Legal Perspective) A trip to the ER can be chaotic and scary, but getting your ducks in a row now can definitely help. So, you’ve waited for a global pandemic to start to thinking about your estate planning needs? …
Home Office Tax Deduction Can You Take the Home Office Tax Deduction? You should determine whether you qualify for this valuable tax break, whether you’re self-employed, freelancing or working remotely because of the coronavirus. A growing number of people now work from home. People are saying this is our “new reality” or at least until…
