Suffolk County District Court - Civil Court FAQ

• All courthouses are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• “Night Small Claims” Court is held on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. in the Ronkonkoma Courthouse.
• All business must be commenced by 4:30 p.m.
• Most calendars are called at 9:30 a.m. (except Small Claims night court 6:00 p.m.)
• Civil courthouses are closed and locked from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

No.

• Adjournment requests must be in writing and will not be considered by phone.
• All other parties should be notified of all adjournment requests.
  
  

• It is strongly recommended, but not absolutely required, that an individual seek the advice of an attorney. Civil actions require specific knowledge of court proceedings.
• Corporations are required to have an attorney in all proceedings (except Small Claims or Commercial Small Claims). It is necessary for an attorney to represent the corporation at all stages of an action, including answering the summons and complaint.
• It is essential that a party proceeding without an attorney be fully versed in court procedure, trial and evidentiary rules. Neither the court staff nor judge may provide legal assistance at any stage of the proceedings.

• Civil actions are generally commenced by an attorney.
• If you chose to represent yourself, you must purchase a civil summons and complaint form that is specifically intended for the District Court. An example is a Blumberg form T1480 which can be purchased at a store that sells legal stationery or from www.blumberglegalforms.com.
• After the form is completed by you, the summons must be issued (signed) by a District Court civil clerk. There is a filing fee. After the summons is signed, you must arrange to have the summons and complaint served on the defendant(s).

• Service may be made by someone over the age of eighteen who is not a party to the action.
• A professional process server may be used. A plaintiff or defendant cannot serve papers.
• The law specifies how papers must be served, and the methods vary depending on the type of paper that is being served.
• Additionally, the method of service may be directed in an order of the court. The clerk of the court may be contacted to determine how papers may be served.

• You may file an answer by mail providing that the answer is notarized and served on the plaintiff's attorney.
• If you do not answer, the plaintiff may file a default judgment against you.
• If you are a corporation, you must answer through an attorney.

• Only an attorney may represent someone other than him or herself in civil court.
• Your spouse may answer by mail. (See the question directly above)

   

The defendant may include a counterclaim with the answer. There is no fee for this kind of counterclaim (but there is a fee for a Small Claims Counterclaim).

• If both the plaintiff (the person starting the law suit) and the defendant (the person sued) are represented by an attorney, a Notice of Trial with the proper fee must be received before a case can proceed to trial or to compulsory arbitration.
• If either side is self represented, the matter will immediately be scheduled for a pre-trial conference, before a judge, if the Cause of Action is greater than $6,000. If the Cause of Action is $6,000 or less, the matter will be referred to compulsory arbitration.

• Any party who is not in default may request a trial de novo within 35 days of the mailing of the arbitrator's decision.
• A demand for a new trial must be filed timely with the clerk, with the proper fee.

When requesting a verbatim transcript, you should have the

• name of the case,
• case number,
• location of the proceeding, and
• date of the proceeding,
• and time stamp or meter reading of the proceeding (if a digital recording machine was used).

Most court proceedings are recorded either by a Court Reporter sitting in the courtroom writing down what is said in the courtroom or by a digital recording machine.

To have a transcript produced of a District Court proceeding which was recorded by a Court Reporter:

• tell the reporter at the proceeding that you need a transcript, or
• call the court reporters office (631) 853-5418, or
• fax your request to the court reporters office (631) 853-7854 .

To have a transcript produced of an electronically recorded court proceeding, you may contact one of the transcription services listed on the list of Electronic Recording Transcription Services. This list of transcription services may also be found at courthouse public information windows.

These services are not employees of the Unified Court System, they are independent contractors and establish their own rates - price per page varies. They will either take the required information and contact the Court, or ask you to contact the court and arrange to have the recording sent to the contractor.

If you have any questions regarding a verbatim transcript from a Suffolk County District Court matter, please contact: Ron Gorman, Supervising Court Reporter, (631) 853-5418.