Earlier today, the Texas Supreme court issued an order allowing for the modification and suspension of court procedures in Texas as a result of Hurricane Harvey. The order can be found here.
Supreme Court Order On Hurricane Harvey
According to the order,
“…all courts in Texas should consider disaster-caused delays as good cause for modifying or suspending all deadlines and procedures—whether prescribed by statute, rule, or order—in any case, civil or criminal.”
Take note that the order does not require that disaster-caused delays be accepted by all courts. It merely states that all Texas courts should consider delays related to Hurricane Harvey as good cause for delays.
What’s more, there is no mention of whether the recording offices will accept similar delays. Our advice is to treat all filing, recording, and mailing deadlines as if they will still be enforced. Where the recording office is closed, e-recording may still be available. It may seem like overkill, but there’s no downside to overprotecting your lien rights.
There is hope, though- even the IRS is extending deadlines for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Here’s more on Hurricane Harvey & Your Documents.