Miroslav Lovric

How Judge Lovric rules, drawn from 18 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

Court
United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
Position
Magistrate judge
Commissioned
July 1, 2019
Education
Columbia University (B.A.); Hofstra University School of Law (J.D.)
Signed orders read
18

About Judge Lovric

Miroslav Lovric took the oath as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of New York on July 1, 2019. Before joining the bench in Binghamton, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York County and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of New York. He earned degrees from Columbia University and Hofstra University School of Law.

Judge Lovric's practices and standing orders

The court's website lists no individual practices or standing orders of Judge Lovric's own (checked October 9, 2026), so the court's local rules and general orders are the place to look (court page ↗).

Standing orders for every case in this court

Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 9, 2026).

Key rules from these orders · The court's local rules ↗

How Judge Lovric decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

In Jennifer G. v. Commissioner, Lovric recommended reversing the disability decision and remanding under sentence four because the ALJ had not adequately evaluated the medical opinions and relevant limitation evidence. The district judge adopted the recommendation.

“ORDERS that Plaintiff's motion for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. No. 10) is GRANTED ... the Commissioner's decision denying disability benefits is REVERSED and this matter is REMANDED, pursuant to sentence four”

In Oteri v. Palmatier, Lovric recommended summary judgment for the officer on the prisoner's excessive-force claim. The record showed the officer used pepper spray after repeated orders and warnings during an altercation; the district judge adopted the recommendation.

“ORDERS that Defendant's motion for summary judgment, Dkt. No. 41, is GRANTED”

In one prisoner case, he recommended denying an exhaustion-based summary judgment motion after treating an appeal mailed within the deadline as timely under the prison mailbox rule.

“the prison mailbox rule should apply and Plaintiff’s appeal should be deemed timely.”

Procedural preferences

In Oteri v. Palmatier, Lovric recommended denying dismissal for failure to prosecute because the delay was under the local rule's four-month presumption and a reprimand was appropriate. The district judge adopted that recommendation.

“ORDERS that Defendant's motion to dismiss for failure to prosecute, Dkt. No. 38, is DENIED”

Cautions

In Capuano v. NYS DOCCS, Lovric recommended dismissing the § 1983 damages claim against the state agency on Eleventh Amendment grounds. The district judge adopted the recommendation and dismissed without prejudice, allowing the plaintiff to replead against proper individual defendants.

“ORDERED that Defendant's motion to dismiss (Dkt. No. 23) is GRANTED; ... ORDERS that Plaintiff's amended complaint (Dkt. No. 38) is DISMISSED without prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and with leave to replead”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Sally W. o/b/o Catherine S. v. Commissioner of Social Security
5:19-cv-00993-GTS-ML · 2020-11-03
Motion for judgment on pleadings (plaintiff) Granted

“Plaintiff's motion for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. No. 12) is GRANTED, Defendant's motion for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. No. 13) is DENIED, Defendant's decision denying Plaintiff disability benefits is VACATED, and this matter is REMANDED”

Motion for judgment on pleadings (defendant) Denied

“Defendant's motion for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. No. 13) is DENIED”

Jennifer G. v. Commissioner of Social Security
5:22-cv-00996-MAD-ML · 2023-11-03
Motion for judgment on pleadings (plaintiff) Granted

“ORDERS that Plaintiff's motion for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. No. 10) is GRANTED ... the Commissioner's decision denying disability benefits is REVERSED and this matter is REMANDED, pursuant to sentence four”

Motion for judgment on pleadings (defendant) Denied

“ORDERS that the Defendant's motion for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. No. 12) is DENIED”

McClain v. Jane Doe
9:17-cv-00046-LEK-ML · 2019-11-26
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“Dugan's Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. No. 106) is GRANTED; and it is further ORDERED, that Dugan is DISMISSED as a defendant herein”

Martineau v. Newell
9:17-cv-00983-LEK-ML · 2019-11-12
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted in part

“Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment (Dkt. No. 28) is GRANTED as to Plaintiff's Fourteenth Amendment medical indifference claim against Kinter and DENIED as to Plaintiff's Fourteenth Amendment excessive force claim against Newell and Baker”

Oteri v. Palmatier
9:23-cv-00986-AMN-ML · 2025-07-22
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Denied

“ORDERS that Defendant's motion to dismiss for failure to prosecute, Dkt. No. 38, is DENIED”

Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“ORDERS that Defendant's motion for summary judgment, Dkt. No. 41, is GRANTED”

Capuano v. NYS DOCCS
9:23-cv-01556-MAD-ML · 2025-03-24
Motions to dismiss (defendant) Granted

“ORDERED that Defendant's motion to dismiss (Dkt. No. 23) is GRANTED; ... ORDERS that Plaintiff's amended complaint (Dkt. No. 38) is DISMISSED without prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and with leave to replead”

Barnes v. Tatro
9:23-cv-00578 · 2026-03-24
Summary judgment (defendant) Granted

“Defendants’ motion is granted”

Summary judgment (plaintiff) Denied

“cross-motion for summary judgment is denied”

Motions to compel (plaintiff) Denied

“ORDERED that Plaintiff’s motion to compel discovery (Dkt. No. 149) and motion to defer consideration of Defendants’ motion for summary judgment is DENIED;”

Travis H. v. Commissioner of Social Security
5:25-cv-00133 · 2026-03-19
Judgment on the pleadings (plaintiff) Granted

“Plaintiff’s motion for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. No. 12) is GRANTED.”

Judgment on the pleadings (defendant) Denied

“Defendant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. No. 17) is DENIED.”

Kara L. v. Commissioner of Social Security
5:25-cv-00086 · 2026-03-24
Judgment on the pleadings (plaintiff) Granted

“Plaintiff’s motion for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. No. 11) is GRANTED.”

Judgment on the pleadings (defendant) Denied

“Defendant’s motion for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. No. 16) is DENIED.”

Tetlow v. Southside Mall
6:25-cv-01298 · 2026-04-23

Initial-review screening Order & Report-Recommendation (28 U.S.C. 1915(e)) in a pro se civil-rights action. IFP application granted; recommended that the complaint be dismissed without prejudice and with leave to amend for failure to state a claim (no plausible state-action or constitutional violation against a mall, its manager, security guard, or state troopers). Recommendation only; district-judge adoption not yet verifiable. Verbatim: “RECOMMENDED that Plaintiff’s Complaint (Dkt. No. 1) be DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE and WITH LEAVE TO AMEND for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.”

MacLaren v. Costa
3:25-cv-01218 · 2026-07-02

Initial-review screening Order & Report-Recommendation (28 U.S.C. 1915(e)) in a pro se civil-rights action arising from an arrest for trespass. Amended IFP application granted; recommended that the complaint be accepted in part (a Fourth Amendment false-arrest claim against Deputy Costa in his individual capacity) and dismissed in part (unreasonable-search and other false-arrest claims dismissed with leave to replead; official-capacity and malicious-prosecution claims dismissed without leave). Recommendation only; adoption not yet verifiable. Verbatim: complaint recommended to be accepted to the extent it “asserts a false arrest claim pursuant to the Fourth Amendment and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Defendant Costa in his individual capacity; and (2) DISMISSED (a) with leave to replead” in part and “without leave to replead” as to official-capacity and “malicious prosecution claims.”

Hamza v. Liberati-Contant
1:25-cv-01429 · 2025-11-26

Consolidated initial-review screening Order & Report-Recommendation (28 U.S.C. 1915(e)) across three related pro se actions (lead case Hamza v. Kotsidis, 1:25-CV-0968). IFP applications granted and the three cases consolidated; plaintiff's motions for a preservation order, expedited discovery, and a court conference denied without prejudice; recommended that the operative complaints be dismissed without prejudice but without leave to replead as frivolous and for failure to state a claim / seeking relief from immune defendants. Recommendation only; adoption not yet verifiable. Verbatim: “RECOMMENDED that the Court DISMISS WITHOUT PREDJUCIE BUT WITHOUT LEAVE TO REPLEAD” the pleadings “as frivolous pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(i).”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

Lovric's sampled civil docket is dominated by Social Security disability appeals, alongside criminal-duty matters and occasional civil forfeitures. The duration figures describe fourteen terminated civil cases filed in 2020 and measure filing to termination, not the time taken to decide a motion.

Pending matters in the official report

Reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, as of March 31, 2026.

Motions pending more than six months0
Bench trials submitted more than six months0
Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months0
Social Security appeals pending more than six months0
Civil cases pending more than three years0
ReportMotions over six monthsCases over three years
Mar 202600
Sep 202500
Mar 202500
Sep 202400
Mar 202400
Sep 202300
Mar 202300
Sep 202200
Mar 202201
Sep 202102
Mar 202102
Sep 202001

A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.

How long civil cases take in this court

For the whole of United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, not for Judge Lovric: median time from filing to disposition of the civil cases the court closed in the 12 months ending September 30, 2025, as reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

CasesMedian time
All civil cases closed1,3028.4 months
Closed with no court action2274.2 months
Closed before pretrial7967.4 months
Closed during or after pretrial26717.2 months
Closed during trial1253.8 months
12 months endingCases closedMedian time
Sep 20251,3028.4 months
Sep 20241,3937.7 months
Sep 20231,2497.9 months
Sep 20221,44412 months
Sep 20211,12010.2 months
Sep 20201,1958.6 months
Sep 20191,1879 months

The table leaves out prisoner petitions, land condemnations, deportation reviews, recovery of overpayments and enforcement of judgments, and reports no median for fewer than 10 cases. A district that closed a large multidistrict litigation in the period shows very large counts and long medians for that year. Source: Table C-5, U.S. District Courts (spreadsheet).

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