24 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JULY 2020
PRESS BUSINESS
NONPROFIT EVENTS
‘DO THIS’ FOR A CAUSE
AIRBOR/NE VIRTUAL 5K
The Airborne Run/Walk in memory
of SSG Christian Gilfranco is meant
to provide wounded veterans with
opportunities, physical challenges,
and goal-oriented physical achievements
to maximize their potential and
increase their self-esteem through their
involvement in the team. Proceeds from
the event will support the Airborne Tri
Team. Register ($35) at events.elitefeats.
com Upload your virtual run results
beginning July 11.
AT YOUR SERVICE CYSTIC
FIBROSIS VIRTUAL 4-MILE
COM-MUNITY AMBULANCE &
CF WAFFLE RUN
Virtual post-race party and awards
ceremony, prizes, costume contest and
challenges for participants, to raise
money for several local organizations.
Register for $28 at runsignup.com
July 11-12.
JORDAN’S RUN VETERANS'
MEMORIAL
VIRTUAL 5K RUN/
WALK
This race is in memory of
United States Marine Corps
Lance Corporal Jordan
Christian Haerter who was
killed in action in Ramadi,
Iraq. Proceeds from this
event will support the
memorial fund, in Jordan’s
Honor, Ltd.Register ($20)
at events.elitefeats.com
Upload your virtual times
from July 26-Aug.2.
LONG ISLAND
VIRTUAL SUMMER BENEFIT
Proceeds will support The Nature
Conservancy to achieve cleaner waters,
restored coastal habitats and fisheries,
protected lands and renewable energy.
LI food banks are reporting increased need. (Getty Images)
Donors will receive a zoom link to
attend the virtual benefit. nature.org 5
p.m. July 30.
VIRTUAL FOOD DRIVE
Want to donate food but don’t want to
leave the house? Donating to or hosting
a virtual food drive saves
the hassle of carrying heavy
food boxes and allows Island
Harvest to save on resources
and get the most-needed
items to our neighbors
struggling with food insecurity.
islandharvest.org
VIRTUAL BLOOD
DRIVE
In the absence of in-person
blood drives and a blood
shortage brought on by the
coronavirus pandemic,
the American Red Cross
SleevesUp Campaign invites
donors to publicly pledge to
make blood donations, which can be
scheduled to maintain social distancing.
sleevesup.redcrossblood.org
-Compiled by Fanni Frankl
LOVE IN THE AGE OF COVID 19
Sheltering in place has become the
new norm and families are being
forced to live together often in less
then ideal arrangements allowing
long simmering difficulties to often
boil over to the point of
incompatibility.
There has been multiple articles
trumpeting the upcoming tsunami of
divorce cases prompted by people
spending too much time together
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
" I want to obtain a divorce but I hear
the Courts are closed"?
The answer as of May 25 is yes
and no.
The New York State court system is
among the busiest in the world.
While many other jurisdictions have
transitioned entirely to electronic
case filing systems, New York has
not done so. E-filing is only available
in some counties and, as a result,
many cases, including matrimonial
cases, require hard copy filings of all
papers. Thus, New York courts have
never been in a position to operate
remotely on a full-scale basis, a
necessity now that social contact
and physical visits to the court
house have been widely curtailed.
Through a series of logical response
to the pandemic New York Courts
have gone from handling only
emergency matters, to opening the
court to filing motions in existing
matters to as of May 25 allowing
the filing of new matters, including
divorce cases.
The courts will now allow cases
originating in the down state areas
,ie NYC, Nassau , Suffolk Westchester
to be filed electronically by what is
known as ECF.
However the actual service of a
summons and complaint still must
be personally served within 120 Days
of filing unless opposing counsel
accepts service.
Pending cases, which were filed by
non electronic means requires
consent to electronically file through
the court systems Electronic
Document Delivery system ( EDDS )
Sound confusing?
Yes it is! And the need to retain
counsel in these family law cases
has never been more warranted.
But lets say you do file then what?
Well unless you already are living in
separate residences or have the
ability to do so after commencing a
new divorce case, will make an
uncomfortable situation even
more so.
One can only imagine sheltering in
place with a pending divorce action.
The bottom line is that in this age
of Covid 19 you can file for divorce
but consultation with a lawyer is a
must before deciding how to
proceed.
Jeffrey D. Lebowitz is a retired NYS
Supreme Court Justice who for
many years presided over the
Matrimonial term in Queens County.
He is presently Special Counsel at
Jaspan Schlesinger LLP. Retired
Justice Lebowitz is a executive
member of the New York State Bar
Association Family Law section and
a member of the Statewide
Matrimonial Practices committee.He
has been nominated by his peers as
a Super Lawyer in Family Law.
Jeffrey D. Lebowitz Esq.
He can be reached at
jlebowitz@jaspanllp.com or
(516) 746-8000.
/nature.org
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/runsignup.com
/events.elitefeats.com
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/islandharvest.org
/sleevesup.redcrossblood.org
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