Broken Elevators Delay Bronx Family Court Hearings
Out-of-service elevators at the Bronx Family Court have led to hours-long waits for working elevators by litigants and witnesses.
Some judges have been forced to postpone hearings because of the delays, the New York Times reports. In some cases judges issued arrest warrants for people who were waiting in the elevator lines.
Two of the court’s four elevators are often out of service for a lengthy repair project, and the two remaining elevators often break down. Frequently there is only one elevator for the roughly 3,000 people who come to the court each day, the newspaper says.
The stairs aren’t an option because of security concerns. The judges use a separate bank of elevators for court personnel.
“It’s absolutely an outrage,” lawyer Ava Gutfriend told the newspaper. “But in the Bronx it happens all the time.”
