Unfortunately, we are currently in the grips of the Coronavirus, with many industries grinding to a halt. The legal industry has not been spared this fate. Courts are closed across New York, as are law firms, with employees diligently working from home in order to do whatever they can to lessen the effect that this virus will bring forth, and continue the attempt to “bust the curve” in order to lessen the load on the heroes in the medical community that are on the front lines of the battle. Here at Palermo Law, our staff is working remotely and able to assist our clients in the day to day handling of their case, whether it’s rescheduling of a matter such as an Independent Medical Examination (IME) or Examination Before Trial (EBT), or ensuring that our clients’ rights and interests are still professionally and thoroughly represented in a settlement negotiation
As a prospective or current client of the firm, you may be wondering what this virus means for your case. Simply put, the unfortunate reality is that this virus is likely going to place a delay on the time it would normally take to bring a case to an end. As previously stated, Courts are closed, necessitating an adjournment of all outstanding matters until the first week of May at the earliest. The New York State judiciary has ordered that with the exception of only the most emergent matters, all filings be suspended until a later date. The vast majority, if not all doctors offices are rescheduling IME’s, meaning that the insurance carrier will more than likely want a rescheduled IME and doctors report to supplement their position before either putting forth a good faith offer to resolve your specific matter.
Events are canceled but business and productivity remain ongoing. We strongly encourage anyone who’s recently been injured and is looking for representation to give us a call right away, phone and video conferences are available via FaceTime. As our current clients are aware, our dedicated staff is standing by to answer any questions or solve issues you may have regarding your ongoing case, as well as handle the no-fault and/or property damage portion of your claim. Our attorneys remain engaged in the drafting of materials necessary to ensure that ongoing matters will be able to pick up right where they left off, with no “down time” between mandatory closures and when Courts and various offices are safe to reopen. Additionally, our attorneys remain in contact with our clients’ insurance companies and their respective adjusters, continuing to work through the conditions imposed on us all by Coronavirus in order to reschedule outstanding IME and EBT dates, as well as negotiate a possible resolution to outstanding cases.
Here at Palermo Law, we wish you and your family the best of health as we all navigate through this very difficult time.
Steven Palermo is the managing partner for Palermo Law, Long Island’s Personal Injury Law Firm. He has been helping people receive compensation for their injuries for over 21 years. He focuses on cases involving car accidents, truck accidents, construction accidents and slip and fall injuries.
His book The Ultimate Guide to Handling New York Car Accident Claims details the ins and outs of a car accident claim in a simple, easy-to-read manner.