Bryant Tovar at a glance
- Current role
- New York City Housing Court Judge
- Jurisdiction
- New York · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Bryant Tovar
New York City Housing Court Judge · New York City Civil Court, Queens County, Housing Part
Biography
Professional career
- New York City Housing Court Judge, New York City Civil Court, Queens County, Housing Part
- Bryant F. Tovar is a judge in the Housing Court of the City of New York, serving in Bronx County and, according to some sources, also in Queens County
Education
Additional information
- Appointment: Appointed by former Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks in 2018
- Current assignment: Queens County Housing Part
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
New York statewide rules require permission before photographing, filming, videotaping, audiotaping, broadcasting, or telecasting in court facilities, including courtrooms.
Taking photographs, films or videotapes, or audiotaping, broadcasting or telecasting, in a courthouse including any courtroom, office or hallway thereof, at any time or on any occasion, whether or not the court is in session, is forbidden, unless permission of the Chief Administrator of the Courts or a designee of the Chief Administrator is first obtainedPart 29: Electronic Recording and Audio-Visual Coverage in Court Facilities and of Court Proceedings ↗
Exhibits
Statewide
The official Guide to New York Evidence identifies court control over presentation of evidence as a statewide evidence topic; counsel should expect the assigned judge to control the mode and order of proof.
1.07. COURT CONTROL OVER PRESENTATION OF EVIDENCEGuide to New York Evidence: Article 1, General Provisions and Court's Role ↗
Published courtroom rules
Judge and named-part rules
Published judge / part rules (14 excerpts)
See document heading and cited passage; do not apply outside the issuing part or proceeding.
Official rules document ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27
Communications with chambers
2. All attorneys of record for any party on trial must supply an email address to be submitted in the Court file, even if the file is not a virtual file. Email is to be used solely for scheduling on consent of all parties, service and/or courtesy copies of papers, and for the Court to send decisions to the parties. If one of the parties is unrepresented by counsel, the Court will only use email for any of these purposes if the unrepresented party consents. All email communication with the Court must be copied to all parties. If any party emails the Court ex parte, the Court will forward that email to all other parties to the case or delete the email as the case may be. Email shall not be used to resolve disputes or for litigants to make applications.
Source page 1Trial exhibits and witnesses
3. Only parties and their attorneys may appear in the well. Non-party witnesses may only testify if they have not been present for the trial, either in person or virtually, before their testimony.
Source page 1Conferences and appearances
6. When a trial is referred from part X, the Court will conduct a pre-trial conference before scheduling a trial. “Pretrial conference” means that an attorney must be prepared to discuss settlement and that someone who can give the attorney authority to settle must be in Court.
Source page 1Conferences and appearances
7. If the matter does not settle, a “pre-trial conference” contemplates that parties will minimize the trial time by stipulating to as much evidence as possible, although the Court will not request that unrepresented parties stipulate to the admissibility of evidence.
Source page 1Motion practice
8 . When a case is referred from part X, that means that dispositive motion practice and any applicable discovery is complete. The Court will not entertain summary judgment motions, motions to dismiss, or discovery disputes in the trial part without leave. This prohibition does not apply to trial-related motions, such as motions to quash subpoenas or motions in limine.
Source page 1Adjournments
9. On the trial date itself, the Court expects litigants to be trial-ready. The Court will only grant an adjournment under extraordinary circumstances. Parties wishing to adjourn trials should notify their adversaries and the Court as far in advance as possible and may email the Court and their adversaries to do so.
Source page 1Filing and working copies
10. To the greatest extent possible, the Court does not wish to see evidence before it is admitted into the record. Parties wishing to move exhibits into evidence should pre-mark their exhibits and establish the foundation before submitting exhibits, although parties who wish to file exhibits on NYSCEF in advance of the trial are free to do so. All parties on trial are expected to furnish courtesy copies of all exhibits to adversaries. Petitioners should label their exhibits with
Source page 1Trial exhibits and witnesses
numbers, e.g., “Exhibit 1,” “Exhibit 2,” etc., and Respondents should label their exhibits with letters, e.g., “Exhibit A.” “Exhibit B.”
Source page 2Trial exhibits and witnesses
11. An attorney may not appear virtually, for trial or otherwise, if their client appears in person. An attorney may appear in person if their client prefers to appear virtually.
Source page 2Trial exhibits and witnesses
12. In any trial where any party appears virtually, exhibits must be in a form that can be emailed,such as a pdf of a document or a digital photograph, or exhibits must be in a form accessible on a browser, such as a Google doc. The Court will assist unrepresented parties if they need help.
Source page 2Trial exhibits and witnesses
13. Subpoenas must be made returnable at the Courthouse on the day of trial, not in advance of the trial and not to an attorney’s office unless the Court otherwise grants leave.
Source page 2Conferences and appearances
14. The Court will endeavor to make all reasonable accommodations and shall provide all interpreters as required for litigants, attorneys, and witnesses, but the Court requests that parties or attorneys notify the Court of all such needs as far in advance of the trial as is practical. Such requests may be made by email if they are not made at the pretrial conference.
Source page 2Communications with chambers
15. All witnesses who testify virtually have to be on a device where the witnesses can be seen. A witness cannot testify by telephone. All virtual witnesses must either be in a room by themselves or must be sitting next to a party or an attorney who is visible on the screen.
Source page 2Trial exhibits and witnesses
16. Virtual witnesses may not otherwise have someone else in the room with them when they testify and may not consult with anything when they testify unless the Court, an attorney, or a litigant shows the witness an exhibit or if the witness follows procedures for refreshing the witness’ recollection as provided for in the rules of evidence. If a virtual witness is not at an attorney’s office, the Court will ask the witness to turn their device around so that Court can confirm that the witness is alone.
Source page 2Published judge / part rules (19 excerpts)
See document heading and cited passage; do not apply outside the issuing part or proceeding.
Official rules document ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27
Adjournments
3. Parties who check in but fail to return to the courtroom within a reasonable time risk adjournment or dismissal, at the court’s discretion. A reasonable time shall be 60 minutes.
Source page 1Conferences and appearances
4. ALL APPEARANCES ARE PRESUMPTIVELY IN PERSON– unless a prior arrangement has been made with the court’s approval or an order has been issued by the court pursuant to a formal ADA request.
Source page 1Adjournments
5. Attorneys appearing before the court must be thoroughly familiar with the procedural posture and facts of the case, including of-counsel appearances. If an attorney is unprepared or without authority to settle, the court may may adjourn or otherwise dispose of the case at its discretion.
Source page 1Motion practice
8. Motions to restore for a judgment where the tenant has defaulted must provide a current rent breakdown.
Source page 1Adjournments
9. Parties may not adjourn the case except by leave of court. The reason for the adjournment must be clearly delineated in a stipulation. Adjournments are given at the court’s discretion.
Source page 1Adjournments
10. Any stipulations left in the courtroom or filed on NYSCEF (whether or not an adjournment date is specified) will be given a date convenient for the court, without consulting the parties, unless the stipulation specified that certain dates are not available for the parties.
Source page 2Filing and working copies
12. In a holdover proceeding, absent an agreement to the contrary, if an attorney appears for a respondent, an answer must be filed prior to next court date after counsel appears in court. If the respondent is pro-se, an answer will be due at the court’s discretion.
Source page 2Adjournments
13. All proposed stipulations settling a case must be submitted to the Court for review. Parties must remain in the courthouse and available to the Court unless a proposed stipulation has been reviewed and approved. Failure to remain available may result in adjournment of the case.
Source page 2Adjournments
14. All stipulations must settle, dispose of, or otherwise address any pending motions. For example, the motion must be adjourned, settled, withdrawn, etc. If any pending motions are not addressed in the stipulation, the Court may add into the stipulation that all pending motions have been settled. Failure to address a pending motion will be deemed to be consent to the foregoing.
Source page 2Conferences and appearances
15. If repairs are properly interposed (raised in an answer or included in a prior stipulation) they must be included in any settlement stipulation, along with access and completion dates. If not included by the parties, they will be added by the court.
Source page 2Adjournments
17. All stipulations, whether settlement or adjournment, pro-se or two-attorney, shall be placed in the stipulation box for review, prior to submission or breaking up of any stipulation.
Source page 2Adjournments
18. Parties must submit a motion practice schedule in any stipulation to the Court proposing to adjourn for motion practice, subject to approval by the Court. All papers shall be served and filed prior to the adjourn date. Stipulations containing a briefing schedule left in the part or filed on NYSCEF without approval from the court may be rejecter or changed at the court’s discretion.
Source page 2Adjournments
19. The first stipulation adjourning a pending motion will be honored. Thereafter, the parties must appear before the judge to request any additional adjournments.
Source page 2Motion practice
20. When a party states they do not anticipate motion practice in hopes of settlement, any motion made after further review/investigation, or if the parties cannot settle, such motion must be served and filed prior to the next appearance. A briefing schedule will be set on the return date.
Source page 2Motion practice
22. Do not submit a single PDF with affirmations and exhibits included for papers submitted on a motion. Each e-filed document must have its own, respective document number.
Source page 3Motion practice
23. All motions that are not settled shall be argued, none will be accepted on submission only.
Source page 3Motion practice
24. Once a motion has been argued (or submitted by leave of court), no further submissions will be allowed and any letters or other submissions to the court after oral argument (or submission by leave of court) will be rejected unless there is an interim change in law or the court directs further submission.
Source page 3Trial exhibits and witnesses
28. A non-payment case will not be sent to trial unless petitioner has a zero-balance breakdown in court, as well as a rental agreement in effect at the time the case commenced.
Source page 3Adjournments
32. Keep in mind that signing a stipulation is only one of several options you may have. You can ask the court attorney and/or the judge about other options such as postponements to obtain an attorney, and the option to go to trial.
Source page 3Shared court rules
22 NYCRR Part 208 — Uniform Civil Rules New York City Civil Court
New York City Civil Court, Queens County, Housing Part
Civil actions and proceedings only; section-specific and specialized-part restrictions remain applicable.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Part 29: Electronic Recording and Audio-Visual Coverage in Court Facilities and of Court Proceedings
New York City Civil Court, Queens County, Housing Part
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Part 29: Electronic Recording and Audio-Visual Coverage in Court Facilities and of Court Proceedings
New York City Civil Court, Queens County, Housing Part
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 27, 2026.
Biography sources checked July 27, 2026.
New York State Unified Court System official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 27, 2026
View New York State Unified Court System official judicial roster ↗Part 29: Electronic Recording and Audio-Visual Coverage in Court Facilities and of Court Proceedings
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Part 29: Electronic Recording and Audio-Visual Coverage in Court Facilities and of Court Proceedings ↗Guide to New York Evidence: Article 1, General Provisions and Court's Role
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Guide to New York Evidence: Article 1, General Provisions and Court's Role ↗