Justice Lawrence Knipel, administrative judge for civil matters in Kings County, has changed course after he was criticized by legal services attorneys and legislators for scheduling "hardship hearings" for people facing foreclosure, despite a state law staying foreclosure cases in which hardship declarations have been filed.

Knipel told the Law Journal on Friday that the hardship hearings would be renamed "status/settlement conferences." That change was emphasized in the courtroom hallway Monday, where 20 pieces of paper listing the 40 foreclosure cases on Knipel's calendar were marked "STATUS CONFERENCE" in red marker.