Queens, New York – On Monday, October 22, 2018, New York State Assembly Member David I. Weprin (D – Fresh Meadows, Richmond Hill) and Council Member Barry S. Grodenchik (D- Oakland Gardens) partnered with Fidel F. Del Valle, Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge of the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH), to host a roundtable discussion at the Glen Oaks Library.  The Commissioner spoke to attendees about the role of OATH, options for responding to a summons at OATH and answered questions from the property owners and small business owners who were in attendance.  

The City’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) is the City’s independent administrative law court where nearly all City enforcement agencies file their summonses for hearings including the Departments of Sanitation (DSNY), Buildings (DOB), Health (DOHMH), Parks (DPR), Environmental Protection (DEP), FDNY, NYPD, Consumer Affairs (DCA), and the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), among many others.

Last year, OATH received more than 870,000 summonses from more than twenty different NYC enforcement agencies and conducted more than 310,000 hearings.  OATH offers recipients of summonses convenient hearings options such as Hearings Online, Hearings by Phone, Hearings by Webcam and Hearings by Mail as well as in-person hearings which are conducted in all five boroughs. OATH also offers free translation services during all hearings and for document/form submissions.

“New Yorkers and small businesses deserve a level playing field when contesting City-issued summonses and the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) continues to work towards the goal of creating a truly user-friendly court," OATH Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge, Fidel F. Del Valle. “I would like to thank Assembly Member Weprin and Council Member Grodenchik for partnering with us on this event which is bringing Eastern Queens residents together in order for OATH to provide them with important information that will make resolving summonses a more convenient and understandable process.”

“Receiving a violation from a city agency can be stressful, but the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) has made the process fairer by giving the average citizen a chance to respond through expanded hearing options and free translation services,” said Assemblyman David I. Weprin. “I want to thank Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge Fidel F. Del Valle for taking a trip out to Eastern Queens to engage with my constituents in person and expanding access to OATH for all New Yorkers.”

“I want to thank OATH Commissioner Fidel F. Del Valle for taking the time to speak with residents of Eastern Queens about the summons and hearing process. It is important for homeowners and residents to understand the hearing process and how to navigate the administrative court system,” said Council Member Barry S. Grodenchik.