With recent developments in the U.S. Supreme Court bringing increased attention to the area of administrative law, questions may emerge regarding how administrative law disputes are handled in New York City. The answer is the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearing (OATH), and we are happy to announce that the New York Law Journal will now include OATH administrative law cases in the “Decisions of Interest” section.
OATH is New York City’s central, independent administrative law tribunal. Our mission is to ensure that everyone who appears before us receives both a fair opportunity to be heard and a timely resolution of their case. The decisions issued by OATH’s adjudicators affect many aspects of everyday life in New York City, from those involving individuals and business challenging civil summonses issued by city enforcement agencies (Health, Sanitation, Environmental Protection, Buildings, etc.), to city workers contesting disciplinary charges filed by their employer agencies, to complaints alleging violations of the New York City Human Rights Law or Conflicts of Interest Law, to matters concerning a wide variety of license revocations, to owners seeking the return of vehicles seized by the NYPD via civil forfeiture actions, to parents challenging DOE decisions regarding special education services for their children, and more. OATH also houses the city’s Center for Creative Conflict Resolution, which facilitates mediation and other ADR services. Administrative law cases falling outside of OATH’s jurisdiction are handled by tribunals like the Office of Administrative Tax Appeals (for tax disputes), the Department of Finance (for parking violations), and the NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Trials (for police officer disciplinary matters).
