The current Court backlog will only grow as families who were “waiting until the pandemic was over to file” begin filing their motions.
The past seven months have been an unprecedented time in our homes, our schools, our businesses, and our courts. Remote schooling, working from home, layoffs and furloughs, and the ups and downs of the economy have taken their toll on every family, but most especially those that were already having relationship issues.
We are grateful the Family Court’s adoption of remote technology such as Zoom and Teams to handle a limited number of electronic hearings while being closed to the public since mid-March. Many of our clients were able to get divorced in the midst of the pandemic and move on to their next chapter.
In the meantime, other cases that required hearings (such as custody modifications or contempt issues) were initially put on hold, which has created a backlog that continues to grow by the day.
The Court recently expanded their capabilities to now accept motions for virtual hearings and sessions with Family Services. We have already begun filing Motions to Modify and Motions for Contempt on behalf of our clients. In the past, hearings of this kind would be scheduled for two or three weeks out. However, with the growing backlog, cases are not being heard for two to three months. And that delay will only grow as other families who were “waiting until the pandemic was over to file” begin filing their motions.
This means that the sooner you have a place in the queue, the sooner your hearing will be scheduled. Motions and new cases that are being filed now are currently scheduled for December. But motions that are filed next month may not be heard until the Spring. We don’t know and hesitate to guess how long it will take the Court to work through the backlog.
If you or someone you care about has had a change in circumstances and needs to file for divorce, custody, modification, contempt, or any other family law issue, now is the time to act. Call us today to schedule a free 30-minute consultation and secure a place in line: 860-677-5885.
