On Thursday, New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, called for the tolling, or pausing and extending for a certain amount of time, of statute of limitations in New York as the state and residents take significant action to respond to the coronavirus disease.

“People should not be forced to choose between exercising their legal rights and jeopardizing their health,” James said in a statement. “Right now, New Yorkers are faced with such a predicament — either they ignore calls for social distancing in order to submit documents to a court by a fixed deadline, or they abandon their right to seek justice through the judiciary all together.”

Also on Thursday, Henry Greenberg, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued a statement to “strongly support” the State Senate proposal “to stop the clock on time limitations for filings or section of legal actions relating to statutes, local laws, ordinances, orders, and rules and regulations. 

“In an effort to curtail the spread of coronavirus, court operations in New York have been dramatically reduced …  prosecutors, litigants, and attorneys should not have to choose between placing themselves at risk of exposure to COVID-19 or pursuing civil and criminal justice.

“We urge the Governor to act on this proposal as soon as possible.”

— Melissa Hale-Spencer