scales of justice with clock

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has issued, and continues to issue, a series of executive orders (65 in total so far), that have suspended procedural deadlines, including the statute of limitations. Various articles have been written that describe these executive orders as a toll of the statute of limitations for court proceedings (see Thomas A. Moore and Matthew Gaier, Medical Malpractice, Toll on Statute of Limitations During the COVID-19 Emergency, NYLJ, June 1, 2020; Patrick M. Connors, New York Practice, The COVID-19 Toll: Time Periods And the Courts During Pandemic, NYLJ, July 17, 2020). However, there is an important legal distinction between a "toll" and a "suspension."