S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10300
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               May 13, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. K. Brown) --
   read once and referred to the Committee on Judiciary
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the uniform city court act, the uniform district court
   act, and the New York city civil court act, in relation to  increasing
   the jurisdictional limits for small claims to fifteen thousand dollars

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 1801 of the uniform city court act, as  amended  by
 chapter 65 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
 § 1801. Small claims defined.
   The  term  "small  claim"  or "small claims" as used in this act shall
 mean and include any cause of action for money only  not  in  excess  of
 [five]  FIFTEEN thousand dollars exclusive of interest and costs, or any
 action commenced by a party aggrieved by an arbitration  award  rendered
 pursuant  to  part  [137]  ONE  HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN of the rules of the
 chief administrator of the courts (22  NYCRR  Part  137)  in  which  the
 amount  in  dispute  does  not exceed [$5,000] FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS,
 provided that the defendant either resides, or has  an  office  for  the
 transaction of business or a regular employment, within the county.
   § 2. Section 1801 of the uniform city court act, as amended by chapter
 485 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
 § 1801. Small claims defined.
   The  term  "small  claim"  or "small claims" as used in this act shall
 mean and include any cause of action for money only  not  in  excess  of
 [five]  FIFTEEN thousand dollars exclusive of interest and costs, or any
 action commenced by a party aggrieved by an arbitration  award  rendered
 pursuant  to  part  [137]  ONE  HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN of the rules of the
 chief administrator of the courts (22  NYCRR  Part  137)  in  which  the
 amount  in  dispute  does  not exceed [$5,000] FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS,
 provided that the defendant either resides, or has  an  office  for  the
 transaction  of  business  or a regular employment within the county, or
 where the claimant is or was a tenant or lessee of real  property  owned
 by  the  defendant  and  the claim relates to such tenancy or lease, and
 such real property is situated within the county.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD15040-01-2
 A. 10300                            2
 
   § 3. Section 1801 of the uniform district court  act,  as  amended  by
 chapter 65 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
 § 1801. Small claims defined.
   The  term  "small  claim"  or "small claims" as used in this act shall
 mean and include any cause of action for money only  not  in  excess  of
 [five]  FIFTEEN thousand dollars exclusive of interest and costs, or any
 action commenced by a party aggrieved by an arbitration  award  rendered
 pursuant  to  part  one  hundred  thirty-seven of the rules of the chief
 administrator of the courts (22 NYCRR Part 137) in which the  amount  in
 dispute  does  not exceed [five] FIFTEEN thousand dollars, provided that
 the defendant either resides, or has an office for  the  transaction  of
 business  or a regular employment, within a district of the court in the
 county.
   § 4. Section 1801 of the uniform district court  act,  as  amended  by
 chapter 485 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
 § 1801. Small claims defined.
   The  term  "small  claim"  or "small claims" as used in this act shall
 mean and include any cause of action for money only  not  in  excess  of
 [five]  FIFTEEN thousand dollars exclusive of interest and costs, or any
 action commenced by a party aggrieved by an arbitration  award  rendered
 pursuant  to  part  one  hundred  thirty-seven of the rules of the chief
 administrator of the courts (22 NYCRR Part 137) in which the  amount  in
 dispute  does  not exceed [five] FIFTEEN thousand dollars, provided that
 the defendant either resides, or has an office for  the  transaction  of
 business  or  a regular employment within a district of the court in the
 county, or where the claimant is or was a tenant or lessee of real prop-
 erty owned by the defendant and the claim relates  to  such  tenancy  or
 lease, and such real property is situated within a district of the court
 in the county.
   §  5. Section 1801 of the New York city civil court act, as amended by
 chapter 664 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   § 1801. Small claims defined. The term "small claim" or "small claims"
 as used in this act shall mean and include any cause of action for money
 only not in excess of [ten]    FIFTEEN  thousand  dollars  exclusive  of
 interest  and  costs, or any action commenced by a party aggrieved by an
 arbitration award rendered pursuant to part [137]  ONE  HUNDRED  THIRTY-
 SEVEN  of  the  rules of the chief administrator of the courts (22 NYCRR
 Part 137) in which the amount in dispute does not exceed  [ten]  FIFTEEN
 thousand  dollars, provided that the defendant either resides, or has an
 office for the transaction of business or a regular  employment,  within
 the city of New York.
   §  6. Section 1801 of the New York city civil court act, as amended by
 chapter 485 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
   § 1801. Small claims defined. The term "small claim" or "small claims"
 as used in this act shall mean and include any cause of action for money
 only not in excess of [ten] FIFTEEN thousand dollars exclusive of inter-
 est and costs, or any action commenced by a party aggrieved by an  arbi-
 tration  award  rendered pursuant to part [137] ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN
 of the rules of the chief administrator of the  courts  (22  NYCRR  Part
 137)  in which the amount in dispute does not exceed [ten] FIFTEEN thou-
 sand dollars, provided that the defendant  either  resides,  or  has  an
 office  for  the  transaction of business or a regular employment within
 the city of New York, or where claimant is a tenant or  lessee  of  real
 property owned by the defendant and the claim relates to such tenancy or
 lease, and such real property is situated within the city of New York.
 A. 10300                            3
 
   §  7.  This  act  shall  take  effect  on  the first of September next
 succeeding the date on which it  shall  have  become  a  law;  provided,
 however,  that  if  chapter 485 of the laws of 2021 shall not have taken
 effect on or before such date then sections two, four and  six  of  this
 act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same manner as such
 chapter of the laws of 2021 takes effect.