Hon. James F. Matthews — Part 24 Rules

STATE OF NEW YORK

UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM

HON. JAMES F. MATTHEWS

Justice of the Supreme Court

Cromarty Court Complex

210 Center Drive

Riverhead, New York 11901

Phone: 631-852-3848 Fax: 631-852-3225

Part 24 e-mail: sufmatthews@nycourts.gov

MEGHAN M. DOLAN NICOLE CHAVES

Principal Law Clerk Confidential Secretary

CIVIL PART 24

COURT RULES AND PROCEDURES

Effective September 1, 2025

Unless otherwise directed by the Court, the following rules shall govern all matters in Part 24:

Part 24 is housed in Courtroom 10 on the second floor of the Arthur M. Cromarty Court

Complex, 210 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY.

Teams link: https://notify.nycourts.gov/meet/agz24f

Correspondence and Adjournment Requests

All communications with the Court, including all adjournment requests, shall be in writing with a

copy to all parties to the action. The Court strongly encourages all communications with

Chambers to be via email to sufmatthews@nycourts.gov. All communications shall include the

case name and index number. Ex-parte communications with Chambers, except as set forth in 22

NYCRR 100.3, are strictly prohibited.

Absent extenuating circumstances, adjournment requests for Tuesday conferences must be

received by the Court by the close of business the preceding Friday. No matter shall be deemed

adjourned until granted in writing by the Court. All parties must be notified of all adjournment

requests and the Court shall be advised whether any party objects to any adjournment request.

Conferences

Conferences shall be held in person on Tuesday mornings beginning at 10:30 A.M. and shall be

attended by an attorney familiar with case and with full authority to enter into stipulations.

Counsel shall bring all prior orders, stipulations and directives or have electronic access to same

to all conferences with the Court. Appearances are required unless the Court has granted an

adjournment, in writing, on consent of the parties. Counsel are not required to but may request a

conference on any matter with the Court.

A Preliminary Conference Order may be agreed to, filled out and signed by the parties in

advance of the conference date and submitted through NYSCEF in lieu of an appearance.

Compliance Conference dates shall be entered in the PC Order for a Tuesday.

Parties may request a settlement conference with the Court on any or all issues or causes of

action where the case may be ripe for resolution.

Motions

All motions shall be calendared for Tuesdays and shall be marked fully submitted on the return

date unless adjourned by stipulation or by directive of the court. Appearances are not required

unless oral argument has been timely and properly requested and granted, or otherwise ordered

by the Court. 22 NYCRR 202.8-f governs oral argument. In some instances, the Court may

administratively adjourn a return date of a motion after all papers are filed to enable the Court to

hold a pre-submission motion conference which date will be set by the Court.

All motion papers shall comply with 22 NYCRR § 205.5, 202.5-a, 202.8 and 202.8(a)-(g).

All Orders to Show Cause shall be made returnable on Tuesdays. If made returnable on any

other day, this Court will administratively adjourn to the Court’s next available Tuesday.

No motion to preclude, to strike or to compel discovery shall be permitted without a pre-motion

conference with the Court.

The Court shall be advised immediately, in writing, of settlement or withdrawal of any motion or

any portion of any motion pending.

Infant Compromise Order Hearings

Prior to setting a date for an Infant Compromise Order hearing, the parties must confirm that the

Order has been processed through the County Clerk’s office and received by Chambers.

An unredacted copy of the proposed order, not to be filed, shall be presented to Justice Matthews

for approval and signature at the hearing.

Trials

Counsel shall comply with 22 NYCRR 202.20-h and are also directed to produce marked

pleadings, bill of particulars (where applicable) and prior Court decisions prior to

commencement of the trial. Counsel shall also provide the Court with requested jury charges,

motions in limine, proposed jury verdict sheets, and the identity and number of witnesses to be

called prior to commencement of trial, unless otherwise directed by the Court.

Prior to commencement of the trial, counsel shall confer with the Court regarding scheduling of

witness testimony. The Court shall endeavor to accommodate all reasonable scheduling requests.

The Court will consider applications for remote testimony of witnesses, upon good cause shown.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation and courtesy to this Court, its staff and your

adversaries.