"The Robing Room: NY State Judges

J.H.O. Howard H. Heckman	See Rating Details
Supreme Court
Suffolk County	See Comments

Attorney Average Rating: 5.5 - 2 rating(s) Non-Attorney Average Rating: 2.0 - 9 rating(s)	Please send me alerts on this judge E-mail Address:

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General Rating Criteria

* Temperament		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Scholarship		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Industriousness		(1=Not at all industrious,10=Highly industrious)
* Ability to Handle Complex Litigation		(1=Awful,10=Excellent)
* Punctuality		(1=Chronically Late,10=Always on Time)
* General Ability to Handle Pre-Trial Matters		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
* General Ability as a Trial Judge		(1=Not all Able, 10=Extremely Able)
Flexibility In Scheduling		(1=Completely Inflexible,10=Very Flexible)

Criminal Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Criminal Litigation		(1=Demonstrates Bias,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
General Inclination Regarding Bail		(1=Pro-Defense,10=Pro-Government)
Involvement in Plea Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved, 10=Very Involved)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Pretrial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Trial Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)
General Inclination in Criminal Cases Sentencing Stage		(1=Pro-prosecution,10=Pro-defense)

Civil Rating Criteria (if applicable)

* Evenhandedness in Civil Litigation		(1=Not at all Evenhanded,10=Entirely Evenhanded)
Involvement in Settlement Discussions		(1=Not at all Involved,10=Very Involved)
General Inclination		(1=Pro-defendant, 10=Pro-plaintiff)

Comments

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What others have said about J.H.O. Howard H. Heckman

Comments

Other

Comment #: NY12579
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Dead.

Other

Comment #: NY12260
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
Reversed 2x on foreclosures yesterday at the Appellate Division, in favor of home owners.

Other

Comment #: NY12221
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Heckman was overturned today at the Appellate Division, when he didn't let a foreclosure defendant put in an answer that was late 4 days. 4 days late and you lose your house in the Court of Howard Heckman. Thankfully, the Appellate Division saw through it again and another house is saved.

Other

Comment #: NY12169
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Rapidly becoming the most reversed foreclosure judge in Suffolk County. Was reversed again today on a faulty Referee Report.

Litigant

Comment #: NY12052
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Howard Heckman rubber stamps foreclosures, clears the docket, keeps the foreclosure mill a'churning in Suffolk County.

Does not allow referee hearings and will rubber stamp whatever judgment amount the bank gives the referee without questioning it.

Other

Comment #: NY12015
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Howard Heckman is allowing foreclosure auctions to proceed without the required conference, under Administrative Order 157/20. It is mandated by Head Justice Lawrence Marks for foreclosures during Coronavirus to have a conference before proceeding to auction. The name of the first one he is allowing is Malachite Funding Corp. v. Battery Private. The rules do not apply in the Foreclosure Court of Heckman.

Other

Comment #: NY11916
Rating:Not Rated
Comments:
All this court cares about is clearing the docket of foreclosures/foreclosure and pushing houses to auction, or the borrower's bankruptcy, because that also clears the docket.

I hope that post-Covid, Howard Heckman will have a more merciful approach to borrowers. We will see. Right now, he is one of "those" foreclosure judges you do not want to get if you are a borrower. Because you are toast and you can forget about all the borrower protections you are hearing about from Cuomo or any form of government.

Other

Comment #: NY11738
Rating:1.0

Comments:
This judge, Howard Heckman, always finds for the banks in a foreclosure. He doesn't allow referee hearings on foreclosures, even if both sides agree to hold one, as they did in my case. My referee called the court to let them know they were having a hearing, and the court told them that this judge doesn't have referee hearings. Heckman then almost always approves the referee report, which is just a rubber stamp, allowing whatever amount the lender says it is, because there was no referee hearing. The checks and balances that were put into the foreclosure system, Heckman has found ways around, specifically the referee hearing. He also almost never allows a foreclosure defense based on the RPAPL 1303, 1304, and 1306 protections put in place after the 2008 mortgage crash to protect consumers. He simply disregards them. I am losing my house because Howard Heckman does not follow the foreclosure protection laws which are there to help the individual borrower, not the mighty banks.

Other

Comment #: NY11728
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Heckman grants forecloses on everyone.

Other

Comment #: NY11544
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Heckman never saw a foreclosure he didn't like.

Other

Comment #: NY11186
Rating:1.0

Comments:
Justice Howard Heckman in Suffolk County is in charge of a foreclosure part which virtually never denies a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale for a foreclosing bank. Show me more than 5 he has denied, if they exist. Justice Heckman is pro-lender, anti-borrower. He seems to be there simply to clear the foreclosure docket in Suffolk, rights of the borrower out the window, and with each decision on Judgments of Foreclosure and Sale, he almost always finds for the bank. The borrower protections put in place in 2009, specifically the 1303, 1304, and 1306 RPAPL notices, mean nothing to him and he routinely disregards them, as does his associate Justice Whelan in another foreclosure part in Suffolk. He also writes the same decision over and over again, so they are basically boilerplate. Just put 2 randomly selected Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale decisions up against each other, that he has written, and they are word for word, the same. He almost always has a paragraph denying the (required by law) Referee's Hearing; another affirming the Referee's Computation (no matter what mathematical flaws, which are never examined); another denying the 1303, 1304, and/or 1306 RPAPL protections; another denying any arguments about standing; and other paragraphs denying any other arguments a hapless borrower trying to save their house might come up with. Howard Heckman's court is a chop-shop boiler room for quick bank foreclosure. If you are a borrower, you are done here. Sorry, the facts speak for themselves, and it is a complete shame. You are on the Foreclosure Auction Express and Howard Heckman is the Engineer. The man should be removed from the bench.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY10949
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Justice Heckman is one of the best Judges in Suffolk County. He is well-tempered, bright, and also witty. I have had nothing but good experiences with this Judge.

Other

Comment #: NY9590
Rating:10.0

Comments:
Very knowledgeable, professional and extremely courteous to both litigants and attorneys. Just a nice guy.

Civil Litigation - Private

Comment #: NY9466
Rating:1.0

Comments:
WORRISOME TRANSITION FROM SUPERIOR CLERK TO PERVASIVE ADJUDICATOR