Building Bridges Symposium
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Contact: OATH | Marisa Senigo, msenigo@oath.nyc.gov, (212) 933-3080
Council Member Koo | Scott Sieber, ssieber@council.nyc.gov
For Queens Chamber of Commerce Joanne King, joanne@anatgerstein.com
OATH Commissioner and Chief Judge, Fidel F. Del Valle, Partners with Council Member Peter Koo and the Queens Chamber of Commerce Announce
“Building Bridges for Small Businesses” Symposium in Flushing, Queens
QUEENS, NEW YORK On Tuesday, December 11, 2018, NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge Fidel F. Del Valle Council Member Peter Koo and Thomas Grech, President & CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce co-host Building Bridges for Small Businesses symposium in Flushing Queens. The event features Commissioner Del Valle speaking about OATH, which is the City’s independent administrative law court and where nearly every City agency files summonses for hearings. Commissioner Del Valle will talk about the many different options available at OATH and how small businesses can fight summonses that they receive from NYC agencies through OATH hearings.
The educational event will bring together OATH representatives, as well as representatives from the City’s various enforcement agencies that issue summonses and alleged violations, to discuss some of the most commonly issued summonses that are issued to Queens businesses, how to avoid violating conditions and if summonses are received, how businesses can challenge those summonses at OATH hearings. NYC agencies that will be in attendance to discuss their enforcement practices include the NYC Departments of Sanitation, Buildings, Health and Mental Hygiene, Environmental Protection, and the FDNY, among others.
The event will be from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 at the Flushing Queens Library located at 47-17 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355. Staff will be on hand to translate in both Mandarin and Cantonese.
Council Member Peter Koo stated, “For a small business, a summons from a city agency can turn into a nightmare if not handled correctly. This special event will help our small businesses understand how to pay off and correct violations received by the City of New York without succumbing to the common pitfalls that can turn small fines into long-term problems. This is especially important for many of our immigrant businesses who often fall victim to their own success and end up with violations that could have been avoided with the right preparation. Thank you to OATH, the Queens Chamber of Commerce, and the Flushing Library for once again collaborating to bring this important information to our community.”
“New Yorkers and small businesses deserve a level playing field when contesting City-issued summonses. By bringing together OATH representatives along with representatives from the City's summons-issuing agencies, OATH’s Building Bridges for Small Businesses initiative provides New York City’s small businesses with the information they need to not only participate fully in the OATH hearing process but also to learn how to avoid getting summonses in the first place," said OATH Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge, Fidel F. Del Valle.
“The Queens Chamber of Commerce values and appreciates the unique relationship we share with NYC Office of Administrative Trials & Hearings (OATH), says Thomas J. Grech, President & CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. In particular, the professional nature and supportive demeanor of Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge, the Honorable Fidel F. Del Valle, makes the small business community in Queens know there is a person behind the robes that truly cares about them.” Grech continues, “Judge Del Valle works diligently teaching businesses on how to avoid violations and to contest summonses. It is comforting to know that the City of New York has in place a knowledgeable team that can work with our business community on issues such as these”
About OATH
The City’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) is the City’s independent administrative law court where nearly all City enforcement agencies such as the Departments of Sanitation, Buildings, Health and Mental Hygiene, Parks, Environmental Protection, Fire, NYPD, Consumer Affairs, and the Taxi and Limousine Commission, among many others, file their summonses for hearings. OATH, however, is not the court that is responsible for holding hearings on parking tickets or traffic tickets. Last year, OATH received nearly 850,000 summonses from NYC enforcement agencies and held 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. It also offers free translation services for all hearings as well as for all document and form submissions. Additionally, OATH has Help Centers at all hearing locations where self-represented respondents can go to get help understanding what a summons is charging them with and the possible penalties associated with the summons; the OATH hearing process; or get help accessing information or records that they believe will help their case.