Long Island Civil Courts are Jam-packed with Foreclosure Cases
The Long Island civil courts are jam packed with foreclosure cases as the housing crisis is not showing any signs of turning. The flood of foreclosures has no other source of outlet but to pass through the lone single drain – the civil court system.
Nassau and Suffolk have been worst affected by foreclosures. It continues to be battered. The court officials are however confident that they will be able to handle the onrush. They are assigning judges who will deal with foreclosure cases only. Meetings between lenders and borrowers are also being made compulsory before the start of the foreclosure proceedings. It is hoped that this step will go a long way in clearing the clog in the drain.
Many others are concerned that the court houses will be unable to manage the flood. Tackling foreclosure cases will delay the handling of other civil suits like divorce etc. Already these fears are proving to be true. A couple of years ago before the numbers had swelled a foreclosure case took about a year to be completed in Suffolk. Today the time covers one year and a half and sometimes even two years.
Richard Clarke of the civil court of Suffolk said, “We’re inundated. I really can’t see anything that’s going to help us now.” Clarke has so far been busy handling incoming files all relating to foreclosures. He stuffs them into bulging cabinets in Riverside courthouse.
In Suffolk County last year (2008) there had been 7,100 foreclosures – it being the highest number in the state. Since 2005 the annual foreclosure numbers in Suffolk, Queens and Nassau have tripled. The case pressure jumped by 23% in Suffolk. In Nassau it went up by 11%. It is obvious that this is because of the rush of foreclosures.
Bill Friedman a lawyer from Hempstead said, “Everything is getting piled up and everyone is screaming. When you start jerking around and making these remedies inaccessible, what lenders are going to lend in New York? The answer is none. Once you delay the resolution of problems you make the state very unattractive for business.” Civil courts are where disputes between individuals, business houses and banks are settled. If the flow of clearing cases is not kept up then the place becomes uninviting to business interests. The problem is that there are not enough judges to make things roll said Suffolk administrative judge, H. Patrick Leis.
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