Alba v. Columbia Gourmet Deli Corp.
- Gregory Woods
- 1:19-cv-04579
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Alba v. Columbia, Judge Woods ordered courthouse visitors to complete health screening and meet entry requirements during the pandemic.
People appearing in Southern District of New York courthouses, including clients, witnesses, trial-team members, and counsel responsible for informing them about the requirements.
What happened
Alba v. Columbia Gourmet Deli Corp. is an administrative order about entering Southern District of New York courthouses during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The court required people appearing at a courthouse to complete a questionnaire and have their temperature taken. People who did not meet the questionnaire or temperature requirements would not be allowed to enter.
Judge Gregory H. Woods directed counsel to give the order and instructions to their clients, witnesses, and trial-team members. The order did not decide the parties’ underlying dispute.
The detailed version
- Alba v. Columbia Gourmet Deli Corp. · No. 1:19-cv-04579
- Gregory Woods
- Apr. 18, 2021
Background
Because of the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, the Southern District of New York had adopted courthouse-safety protocols. The order states that every person appearing in a courthouse had to complete a questionnaire and have their temperature taken.
Order
The court directed counsel to provide their clients, witnesses, and trial-team members with the order and its attached instructions. The instructions required entrants to register using a website or a QR code, complete the questionnaire, and use a QR code to enter the courthouse. A person answering “yes” to any questionnaire question, or whose temperature exceeded the normal range, would be denied entry under Standing Order 20 Misc. 138. The QR code expired at the end of the day.
Disposition
Judge Gregory H. Woods entered the administrative order concerning courthouse entry procedures. The opinion does not address or resolve the underlying claims between the parties.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.