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Covid-19 Update: We Are Open and Here to Help!
We are happy to announce that Humphrey Law PLLC remains open for business and are taking calls during the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts to combat the disease have led to widespread disruption of people’s lives, but people and businesses still have legal needs that need to be met. We are here to help!
The court system has been affected just like other institutions. Those effects have not made headlines, but they are still important to people with pending or anticipated legal matters:
The Texas Supreme Court has issued an emergency order authorizing and, in some cases, mandating all courts in the state to extend deadlines, including statutes of limitations, for a period up to 30 days after the governor’s state of disaster has been lifted. This order does not automatically extend any deadlines—it simply authorizes courts to do so. So far, we are not aware of any courts that have extended any statutes of limitations, so if you think you have a potential case, do not wait.
Harris County civil district courts have adopted an “Alternative Schedule.” All “non-essential” in-person hearings and dockets, including trials, are canceled through May 8, 2020. Tax foreclosure proceedings are canceled. Submission dockets, telephonic and video hearings, and “Essential Court Matters,” which include temporary restraining orders, temporary injunctions, and quarantine proceedings, will proceed as scheduled. This does not apply to cases in the family and criminal district courts, which are governed by separate orders.
Harris County jury service is suspended through March 31.
The Houston and Galveston Divisions of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, which covers Houston, have suspended civil jury trials through April 1, but the courthouses remain open and all other hearings and deadlines remain in effect.
Even though some jury trials and hearings are canceled, work goes on. If you need help with any personal injury or civil litigation matters, please call us or email us here.