On Monday, Councilmember Robert Cornegy announced that the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) will hold a Neighborhood Pop-Up Court at the councilmember's office on Friday, June 8. Brooklynites who were issued civil summonses will be able to address them without having to leave the neighborhood.
"I would like to offer my most sincere thanks to OATH Commissioner Fidel Del Valle and his team," said Councilmember Cornegy. "It means a lot to us that you've taken the time to be here today. It is nice to see this kind of personal investment from the very top of a city agency that many often have negative associations with."
Neighborhood Pop-Up Courts is an initiative offered by OATH. The agency will be traveling to neighborhoods across the five boroughs to conduct hearings directly in the community at community boards, libraries, offices of elected officials and other civic organizations in an effort to increase response rates to city-issued summonses by making it more convenient for people to access justice at the city's administrative law court. According to OATH, the office received approximately 850,000 summonses from the city's various enforcement agencies. On average, 44 percent of summonses that were fought at OATH hearings were dismissed last year.
"The Pop-Up Court will make it possible for residents of the surrounding community to have their hearing with an OATH Hearing Officer without them having to leave the neighborhood," explained Cornegy. "This kind of work is what instills faith amongst the people that our institutions are truly there to serve them, so thank you."
Cornegy also stated that OATH has contacted local residents who have received Health Department or Sanitation Department summonses with trial dates on or after this Friday, to inform them about the pop-up court which will take place on Friday, June 8, from 9:00am to 4:00pm, at Councilmember Cornegy's office located at 1360 Fulton Street.
***Updated on 6/7/18
We incorrectly stated that this is the first pop-up court. The story has since been corrected.
