Housing courts across the state can pause eviction action through September 4, Gov. Andrew Cuomo mandated by executive order Wednesday. Tens of thousands of families are still vulnerable to eviction, however.
“The order signed last night continued provisions giving the courts and litigants the leeway to suspend deadlines related to civil litigation,” Caitlin Girouard, Cuomo’s press secretary, said Thursday. “How and if they use this authority when it comes to eviction proceedings is up to them.”
Even if the courts ubiquitously halted eviction action for the next month, a large subset of renters could be evicted. That’s because eviction actions that began before the coronavirus pandemic are ongoing, Gothamist reported. Some 14,000 tenants have such eviction warrants pending.
