The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Your Personal Injury Claim

Will Proceedings Be Suspended? Can You Still File a Claim?

Under current social distancing and shelter-in-place orders, the New Jersey courts are closed. On March 16, the New Jersey Supreme Court announced that no new jury trials would begin in the state (the initial two-week period has been extended).

If you are the victim of someone else’s carelessness or negligence, you may wonder how the court closures impact your ability to pursue legal action and recover damages. If you’ve already filed a lawsuit for damages, how will it proceed? If you haven’t yet filed a complaint in civil court yet, can you do so? Will the courts extend the period of time you have to file your complaint?

Though New Jersey courts are currently closed to in-person hearings, meetings, and other proceedings, the courts are working hard to find alternative methods for moving as much business forward as possible. Most judges have been scheduling conferences and hearings by telephone or videoconference. Furthermore, the courts are all willing and able to accept complaints, motions, and other pleadings by mail or online, so new complaints may be filed.

To date, there has been no indication that the “statute of limitations” for filing personal injury claims will be extended because of the pandemic. The statute of limitations identifies the time period during which a lawsuit may be filed. The current statute of limitations for personal injury is two years from the date of the accident.

Contact Attorney Howard N. Sobel

At the office of Howard N. Sobel, we work closely with people who have suffered personal injury in New Jersey. Contact our office online or call us at 856-424-6400 to set up a free initial consultation (on selected cases). We are currently available by phone, text message, and videoconference only. Evening and weekend appointments can be arranged upon request. We accept all major credit cards.

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