STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4455--A
Cal. No. 1082
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 4, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sens. KRUEGER, LIU, SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered
printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judici-
ary -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first
report, amended on first report, ordered to a second report and
ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of second report
AN ACT to amend the New York city civil court act and the real property
actions and proceedings law, in relation to stipulations in summary
proceedings to recover possession of real property
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby
2 finds and declares that litigants in cases in housing court parts, espe-
3 cially in the state's major metropolitan areas, are often self-repre-
4 sented. Under these circumstances, and especially because the stakes
5 for the self-represented litigant in such cases can be so high, e.g.,
6 eviction from one's home, it is vital to the administration of justice
7 that the judges in such parts take all necessary and appropriate steps
8 to assure that self-represented litigants fully understand the
9 proceedings in which they are involved, any claims or defenses they may
10 have and the available options in light of those claims or defenses, and
11 the potential consequences of any agreements they may be asked to make
12 in the course of those proceedings. Accordingly, it is the intent of
13 this act that no agreement between the parties to a proceeding in a
14 housing court part wherein one or more of such parties are self-repre-
15 sented may be approved by the court unless the judge presiding therein
16 ascertains that the claims or defenses of each self-represented party
17 are adequately addressed in the stipulation and that each self-repre-
18 sented party understands the nature and consequences of such agreement;
19 and the judge memorializes such inquiry on the record of the proceeding.
20 In declaring this intent, the legislature further reminds all authori-
21 ties responsible for designating the judges who preside in housing
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01938-02-1
S. 4455--A 2
1 courts parts of the importance of selecting or reappointing judges who
2 are best equipped, by training, experience and disposition, to preside
3 over cases where parties frequently are self-represented.
4 § 2. Subdivisions (f) and (i) of section 110 of the New York city
5 civil court act, subdivision (f) as amended by chapter 64 of the laws of
6 2007 and subdivision (i) as amended by chapter 310 of the laws of 1978,
7 are amended to read as follows:
8 (f) The housing judges shall be appointed by the administrative judge
9 from a list of persons selected annually as qualified by training,
10 interest, experience, judicial temperament, ability to handle a caseload
11 involving self-represented litigants and knowledge of federal, state and
12 local housing laws and programs by the advisory council for the housing
13 part. The list of persons who have been approved by such advisory coun-
14 cil, whether or not appointed to such judicial position, shall be deemed
15 public information and be published in the city record immediately after
16 such list is submitted to the administrative judge. The annual salary
17 of a housing judge shall be one hundred fifteen thousand four hundred
18 dollars.
19 (i) Housing judges shall have been admitted to the bar of the state
20 for at least five years, two years of which shall have been in active
21 practice. Each housing judge shall serve full-time for five years.
22 Reappointment shall be at the discretion of the administrative judge and
23 on the basis of the criteria set forth for selection by the advisory
24 council in subdivision (f) of this section, performance, competency and
25 results achieved during the preceding term, and the judge's allocution
26 of stipulations to self-represented litigants and the judge's compliance
27 with section seven hundred forty-six of the real property actions and
28 proceedings law.
29 § 3. Section 746 of the real property actions and proceedings law, as
30 added by chapter 281 of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
31 § 746. Stipulations. 1. In any proceeding under this article, if a
32 stipulation is made, on the occasion of a court appearance in the
33 proceeding, setting forth an agreement between the parties, other than a
34 stipulation solely to adjourn or stay the proceeding, and either the
35 petitioner or the respondent is not represented by counsel, the court
36 shall fully describe the terms of the stipulation to that party on the
37 record.
38 2. No stipulation required to be on the record by subdivision one of
39 this section may be approved by the court unless the court first
40 conducts an allocution on the record that shall, at a minimum, find the
41 following:
42 (a) the identity of the parties and whether all necessary parties have
43 been named in the proceeding;
44 (b) the authority of the signatory to the stipulation if the named
45 party is not present; and
46 (c) shall further find:
47 (i) that the unrepresented party understands that he or she may try
48 the case if he or she does not agree with the proposed stipulation or if
49 an acceptable stipulation cannot be negotiated;
50 (ii) where the other party is represented, whether the party's attor-
51 ney inappropriately gave legal advice to the unrepresented litigant or
52 whether the unrepresented litigant is agreeing to the proposed stipu-
53 lation as a result of undue duress;
54 (iii) whether the unrepresented respondent agrees with or contests any
55 allegation in the petition and predicate notices;
S. 4455--A 3
1 (iv) that the unrepresented party is aware of and understands claims
2 or defenses he or she may have in the proceeding and is aware of the
3 available options in light of those claims or defenses, especially where
4 the stipulation provides for a surrender of the dwelling unit or the
5 conversion of a nonpayment proceeding into a holdover proceeding;
6 (v) that the unrepresented litigant's claims or defenses are adequate-
7 ly addressed in the stipulation;
8 (vi) that the unrepresented party understands and agrees to the terms
9 of the stipulation;
10 (vii) that the unrepresented party understands the effect of non-com-
11 pliance with the terms of the stipulation by either side and what the
12 deadlines and procedures are for addressing such non-compliance, includ-
13 ing how to restore the case to the court calendar to obtain relief under
14 or from the stipulation;
15 (viii) in all non-payment cases, including where the unrepresented
16 party indicates that he or she intends to apply for public assistance
17 benefits or to a charity to pay rent that is sought in the proceeding
18 and that the court has determined to be owing to the petitioner, that an
19 appropriate rent breakdown is included in the stipulation; and
20 (ix) that the unrepresented party understands the implications of a
21 judgment against him or her and the legal requirement that the petition-
22 er provide a satisfaction of judgment upon payment.
23 3. The court may use a court attorney to conference a case to deter-
24 mine the unrepresented party's claims or defenses and his or her under-
25 standing of all available options in light of those claims or defenses,
26 or any of the other elements of the allocution required by this section.
27 However, such conference may not substitute for an allocution by the
28 court and, where it is used, the results shall be reported to the court,
29 which shall note on the record that such conference occurred.
30 4. Notwithstanding the foregoing, where the court, in its discretion,
31 determines that, in the interests of justice, inclusion in the allocu-
32 tion required by subdivision two of this section of one or more findings
33 described in paragraph (c) of such subdivision is or are not necessary
34 given the history of the case, prior appearances or other factors,
35 excluding a court attorney conference provided for in subdivision three
36 above, such finding or findings may be omitted and the reason for such
37 omission shall be set forth on the record.
38 § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
39 have become a law and shall apply to all proceedings commenced on or
40 after such effective date.
