What is OATH Court?

OATH (Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings) is a court in New York City that handles a wide range of cases, including violations or NYC rules and regulations. OATH court is the city’s independent administrative law court and isn’t part of the state court. OATH court holds hearings on summonses that are issued by various enforcement agencies.

Examples of OATH Hearings

We have clients reach out about OATH hearings all the time and have been able to get them positive results. Some of the more commonly held hearings we’ve represented clients in OATH court are:

• Summonses issued by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection [NYC EPD]. Idling summonses are one of the most commonly issued summonses by the NYC EPD. Drivers receive these summonses when they leave their motor vehicle idling for longer than 3 minutes. These summonses carry heavy fines and the fines can start adding up if you receive multiple idling summonses. These violations can be observed by an officer or a civilian who makes a complaint to the agency.
• Summonses issued by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission [TLC]. When drivers or owners of a Taxi, Limousine, or Uber receive a summons for a violation of TLC rules those hearings are held in OATH court. These summonses can carry a wide range of points, fines, and in some cases even revocation of the drivers TLC license. These summonses can be issued for Redlight Violations, Speeding, Refusing to Pick Up a Passenger, or Being Rude to a Passenger.

• Summonses issued by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Health tribunal hearings are held for violations of public health laws. Failure to maintain sanitary conditions in a food establishment would be grounds for the issuance of a summons by the NYC Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene.

• “Failure to Yield” summonses are issued by the New York Police Department [NYPD]. These summonses are issued when a driver fails to yield to a pedestrian or cyclist and it results in injury. These summonses have initial fines of $250 and/or 30 days in jail depending on the severity of the accident. If the accident results in a fatality the hearing will be at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Preparing for an OATH Hearing

Preparing for an oath hearing can be stressful and requires detailed and careful planning. Here are some steps you can take to prepare for your OATH hearing:

• Make sure you review your summons carefully. The summons will have the charges, date and time, and the location of the hearing. Make sure you are aware of any response deadlines that may be on the summons.
• Gather any evidence you feel may support your case and that you would like to present at your hearing. The evidence can consist of documents, photographs, witness statements, etc.
• The hearing can be in person or virtually. Attorneys can usually represent clients in their absence.

Hire An Attorney

Hiring an experienced OATH Court Attorney to represent you increases your chances of a positive outcome. An experienced attorney understands the hearing process and will handle your case every step of the way.

Attorney Michael Block has more than 35 years of experience practicing law and achieving positive outcomes for his clients. If you have an upcoming OATH hearing for Idling, TLC charges, or Failure to Yield resulting in a pedestrian injury or fatality and would like to increase your chances of a positive outcome, please contact our office at 212-227-9008 for a free consultation.