S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1511
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 15, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. EPSTEIN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Judiciary
 
 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:
 
   Section  1.  Legislative  findings  and intent. The legislature hereby
 finds and declares that litigants in cases in housing court parts, espe-
 cially in the state's major metropolitan areas,  are  often  self-repre-
 sented.    Under  these circumstances, and especially because the stakes
 for the self-represented litigant in such cases can be  so  high,  e.g.,
 eviction  from  one's home, it is vital to the administration of justice
 that the judges in such parts take all necessary and  appropriate  steps
 to   assure   that   self-represented  litigants  fully  understand  the
 proceedings in which they are involved, any claims or defenses they  may
 have and the available options in light of those claims or defenses, and
 the  potential  consequences of any agreements they may be asked to make
 in the course of those proceedings. Accordingly, it  is  the  intent  of
 this  act  that  no  agreement  between the parties to a proceeding in a
 housing court part wherein one or more of such parties  are  self-repre-
 sented  may  be approved by the court unless the judge presiding therein
 ascertains that the claims or defenses of  each  self-represented  party
 are  adequately  addressed  in the stipulation and that each self-repre-
 sented party understands the nature and consequences of such  agreement;
 and the judge memorializes such inquiry on the record of the proceeding.
 In  declaring  this intent, the legislature further reminds all authori-
 ties responsible for designating  the  judges  who  preside  in  housing
 courts  parts  of the importance of selecting or reappointing judges who
 are best equipped, by training, experience and disposition,  to  preside
 over cases where parties frequently are self-represented.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD02532-01-9

 A. 1511                             2
 
   §  2.  Subdivisions  (f)  and  (i) of section 110 of the New York city
 civil court act, subdivision (f) as amended by chapter 64 of the laws of
 2007 and subdivision (i) as amended by chapter 310 of the laws of  1978,
 are amended to read as follows:
   (f)  The housing judges shall be appointed by the administrative judge
 from a list of persons  selected  annually  as  qualified  by  training,
 interest, experience, judicial temperament, ABILITY TO HANDLE A CASELOAD
 INVOLVING SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS and knowledge of federal, state and
 local  housing laws and programs by the advisory council for the housing
 part. The list of persons who have been approved by such advisory  coun-
 cil, whether or not appointed to such judicial position, shall be deemed
 public information and be published in the city record immediately after
 such  list  is submitted to the administrative judge.  The annual salary
 of a housing judge shall be one hundred fifteen  thousand  four  hundred
 dollars.
   (i)  Housing  judges  shall have been admitted to the bar of the state
 for at least five years, two years of which shall have  been  in  active
 practice.  Each  housing  judge  shall  serve  full-time for five years.
 Reappointment shall be at the discretion of the administrative judge and
 on the basis of the CRITERIA SET FORTH FOR  SELECTION  BY  THE  ADVISORY
 COUNCIL  IN SUBDIVISION (F) OF THIS SECTION, performance, competency and
 results achieved during the preceding term, AND THE  JUDGE'S  ALLOCUTION
 OF STIPULATIONS TO SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS AND THE JUDGE'S COMPLIANCE
 WITH  SECTION  SEVEN  HUNDRED FORTY-SIX OF THE REAL PROPERTY ACTIONS AND
 PROCEEDINGS LAW.
   § 3. Section 746 of the real property actions and proceedings law,  as
 added by chapter 281 of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   §  746.  Stipulations.  1.  In any proceeding under this article, if a
 stipulation is made, on the  occasion  of  a  court  appearance  in  the
 proceeding, setting forth an agreement between the parties, other than a
 stipulation  solely  to  adjourn  or stay the proceeding, and either the
 petitioner or the respondent is not represented by  counsel,  the  court
 shall  fully  describe the terms of the stipulation to that party ON THE
 RECORD.
   2. NO STIPULATION REQUIRED TO BE ON THE RECORD BY SUBDIVISION  ONE  OF
 THIS  SECTION  MAY  BE  APPROVED  BY  THE  COURT  UNLESS THE COURT FIRST
 CONDUCTS AN ALLOCUTION ON THE RECORD THAT SHALL, AT A MINIMUM, FIND  THE
 FOLLOWING:
   (A) THE IDENTITY OF THE PARTIES AND WHETHER ALL NECESSARY PARTIES HAVE
 BEEN NAMED IN THE PROCEEDING;
   (B)  THE  AUTHORITY  OF  THE SIGNATORY TO THE STIPULATION IF THE NAMED
 PARTY IS NOT PRESENT; AND
   (C) SHALL FURTHER FIND:
   (I) THAT THE UNREPRESENTED PARTY UNDERSTANDS THAT HE OR  SHE  MAY  TRY
 THE CASE IF HE OR SHE DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE PROPOSED STIPULATION OR IF
 AN ACCEPTABLE STIPULATION CANNOT BE NEGOTIATED;
   (II)  WHERE THE OTHER PARTY IS REPRESENTED, WHETHER THE PARTY'S ATTOR-
 NEY INAPPROPRIATELY GAVE LEGAL ADVICE TO THE UNREPRESENTED  LITIGANT  OR
 WHETHER  THE  UNREPRESENTED  LITIGANT IS AGREEING TO THE PROPOSED STIPU-
 LATION AS A RESULT OF UNDUE DURESS;
   (III) WHETHER THE UNREPRESENTED RESPONDENT AGREES WITH OR CONTESTS ANY
 ALLEGATION IN THE PETITION AND PREDICATE NOTICES;
   (IV) THAT THE UNREPRESENTED PARTY IS AWARE OF AND  UNDERSTANDS  CLAIMS
 OR  DEFENSES  HE  OR  SHE MAY HAVE IN THE PROCEEDING AND IS AWARE OF THE
 AVAILABLE OPTIONS IN LIGHT OF THOSE CLAIMS OR DEFENSES, ESPECIALLY WHERE

 A. 1511                             3
 
 THE STIPULATION PROVIDES FOR A SURRENDER OF THE  DWELLING  UNIT  OR  THE
 CONVERSION OF A NONPAYMENT PROCEEDING INTO A HOLDOVER PROCEEDING;
   (V) THAT THE UNREPRESENTED LITIGANT'S CLAIMS OR DEFENSES ARE ADEQUATE-
 LY ADDRESSED IN THE STIPULATION;
   (VI)  THAT THE UNREPRESENTED PARTY UNDERSTANDS AND AGREES TO THE TERMS
 OF THE STIPULATION;
   (VII) THAT THE UNREPRESENTED PARTY UNDERSTANDS THE EFFECT OF  NON-COM-
 PLIANCE  WITH  THE  TERMS OF THE STIPULATION BY EITHER SIDE AND WHAT THE
 DEADLINES AND PROCEDURES ARE FOR ADDRESSING SUCH NON-COMPLIANCE, INCLUD-
 ING HOW TO RESTORE THE CASE TO THE COURT CALENDAR TO OBTAIN RELIEF UNDER
 OR FROM THE STIPULATION;
   (VIII) IN ALL NON-PAYMENT CASES,  INCLUDING  WHERE  THE  UNREPRESENTED
 PARTY  INDICATES  THAT  HE OR SHE INTENDS TO APPLY FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
 BENEFITS OR TO A CHARITY TO PAY RENT THAT IS SOUGHT  IN  THE  PROCEEDING
 AND THAT THE COURT HAS DETERMINED TO BE OWING TO THE PETITIONER, THAT AN
 APPROPRIATE RENT BREAKDOWN IS INCLUDED IN THE STIPULATION; AND
   (IX)  THAT  THE  UNREPRESENTED PARTY UNDERSTANDS THE IMPLICATIONS OF A
 JUDGEMENT AGAINST HIM OR HER AND THE LEGAL REQUIREMENT  THAT  THE  PETI-
 TIONER PROVIDE A SATISFACTION OF JUDGEMENT UPON PAYMENT.
   3.  THE  COURT MAY USE A COURT ATTORNEY TO CONFERENCE A CASE TO DETER-
 MINE THE UNREPRESENTED PARTY'S CLAIMS OR DEFENSES AND HIS OR HER  UNDER-
 STANDING  OF ALL AVAILABLE OPTIONS IN LIGHT OF THOSE CLAIMS OR DEFENSES,
 OR ANY OF THE OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE ALLOCUTION REQUIRED BY THIS SECTION.
 HOWEVER, SUCH CONFERENCE MAY NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR  AN  ALLOCUTION  BY  THE
 COURT AND, WHERE IT IS USED, THE RESULTS SHALL BE REPORTED TO THE COURT,
 WHICH SHALL NOTE ON THE RECORD THAT SUCH CONFERENCE OCCURRED.
   4.  NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, WHERE THE COURT, IN ITS DISCRETION,
 DETERMINES THAT, IN THE INTERESTS OF JUSTICE, INCLUSION IN  THE  ALLOCU-
 TION REQUIRED BY SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION OF ONE OR MORE FINDINGS
 DESCRIBED  IN  PARAGRAPH (C) OF SUCH SUBDIVISION IS OR ARE NOT NECESSARY
 GIVEN THE HISTORY OF THE  CASE,  PRIOR  APPEARANCES  OR  OTHER  FACTORS,
 EXCLUDING  A COURT ATTORNEY CONFERENCE PROVIDED FOR IN SUBDIVISION THREE
 ABOVE, SUCH FINDING OR FINDINGS MAY BE OMITTED AND THE REASON  FOR  SUCH
 OMISSION SHALL BE SET FORTH ON THE RECORD.
   §  4.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law and shall apply to all  proceedings  commenced  on  or
 after such effective date.