Deborah A. Chimes
How Judge Chimes rules, drawn from 30 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Chimes
Deborah A. Chimes has served as a justice of the New York State Supreme Court in the Eighth Judicial District since 2011. She previously served as Orchard Park Town Justice and practiced civil, matrimonial, and criminal defense law in Buffalo. Her Supreme Court assignments have included commercial litigation and Child Victims Act cases.
Judge Chimes's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Chimes, as published on the court's website (checked October 11, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Contacting chambers
Send correspondence directed to the court to the court secretary by email attachment or mailed hard copy.
“Correspondence directed to the Court is to be sent to the Court’s Secretary either attached to an email or mailed hard copy.”
Filing
E-file motion, opposition, and reply papers by 5 p.m. on the Wednesday before the return date.
“All submissions, including replies, must be e-filed no later than 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the return date.”
Filing
Hard copies of motion papers are unnecessary unless the court requests them.
“Hard copies of motion papers are not required unless the Court requests otherwise.”
How Judge Chimes decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In LG 67 Doe v. Resurrection Lutheran Church, Chimes denied a motion to dismiss a Child Victims Act claim. She held that CPLR 214-g's revival window had no age limit and did not incorporate the age-55 limit in the separate tolling provision, CPLR 208(b).
“It is noted that CPLR 214-g does not contain an age limitation or refer to CPLR 208 (b).”
In Kalamata Capital Group, LLC v. Colorado Trailers, Inc., she granted summary judgment on a Revenue Purchase Agreement claim after finding the plaintiff supported its motion with the agreement and transaction history.
“Here, plaintiff met its burden on summary judgement by submitting the RPA and a transaction history.”
In Richards v. Amchem Products, Chimes denied a flooring manufacturer's asbestos-causation summary-judgment motion. The defendant had not established that its floor tile could not have contributed to the plaintiff's disease, and competing expert affidavits raised factual issues.
“ORDERED that defendants motion for summary judgement is denied in all respects.”
Procedural preferences
In Matter of Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District, Judge Chimes dismissed a petition to stay arbitration of a collective bargaining grievance; compliance with the agreement's procedural steps was left for the arbitrator.
“the order, among other things, dismissed the petition”
In Broadway Warehouse Co. v. Buffalo Barn Bd., LLC, she rejected a 'fees on fees' request because the lease's fee-shifting language did not unambiguously cover it.
“plaintiff is not entitled to ‘fees on fees.’”
Cautions
A Child Victims Act motion-to-dismiss grant premised on failure to allege a special duty against a municipal defendant was unanimously REVERSED on appeal after the Fourth Department found the complaint's allegations sufficient after all: a litigant relying on the trial-level dismissal should know it did not survive appellate review.
“It is hereby ordered that the order so appealed from is unanimously reversed on the law without costs, the motion is denied, and the complaint is reinstated.”
A summary-judgment dismissal in a Child Victims Act case against a national church body was only partly affirmed: the Fourth Department reinstated the negligent-retention/supervision and misrepresentation claims where the record left open a triable issue notwithstanding the trial court's broader dismissal, illustrating that even a full summary-judgment grant can be split into affirmed and reinstated components on appeal.
“unanimously modified on the law by denying those parts of the motion ... seeking summary judgment dismissing plaintiffs' first causes of action insofar as they assert claims for negligent retention, supervision, or direction ... and reinstating those claims against it”
A denial of a motion to dismiss can itself be modified into a partial grant where intervening appellate authority (decided the same day in a companion case) resolves a statute-of-limitations question against the non-moving party: a reminder that a favorable denial at the trial level is not necessarily the final word once a parallel appeal is pending.
“unanimously modified on the law by granting the motion of defendant Rochester City School District in part and dismissing the fourth and fifth causes of action against that defendant”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The judgment and order denied the petition to stay arbitration. ... It is hereby ordered that the judgment and order so appealed from is unanimously affirmed without costs.”
“The order, among other things, dismissed the petition. ... It is hereby ordered that said cross appeal is unanimously dismissed and the order is affirmed without costs.”
“Supreme Court granted the motion only with respect to the issue of serious injury, determining that there are issues of fact with respect to the issue of negligence and thus that plaintiffs are not entitled to partial summary judgment on liability”
“The order and judgment denied in part petitioners' application to vacate an arbitrator's award. ... It is hereby ordered that the order and judgment so appealed from is unanimously affirmed without costs.”
“The order, inter alia, granted the motion of plaintiff for summary judgment. ... It is hereby ordered that the order so appealed from is unanimously affirmed without costs.”
“The order granted those parts of the motion of defendants to dismiss the second and fifth through ninth causes of action, and denied those parts of the motion to dismiss the first, third and fourth causes of action ... It is hereby ordered that the order so appealed from is unanimously affirmed without costs.”
“and denied those parts of the motion to dismiss the first, third and fourth causes of action and for attorneys' fees, costs and sanctions. ... we conclude that the court did not abuse its discretion in denying that part of their motion seeking attorneys' fees, costs, and sanctions”
“ORDERED that defendants motion for summary judgment is denied in all respects.”
“It is initially noted that plaintiff consented to dismissal of the claims based on violation of the Education Law; all claims against LaSalle Junior High School; and requests for punitive damages and attorney's fees. The District's motion is granted in that regard.”
“The District's motion to dismiss the first cause of action is denied. ... The District's motion to dismiss is denied. ... The District's motion to dismiss on the grounds that the Child Victims Act is unconstitutional as applied is denied.”
“The order denied the motion of defendant Rochester City School District to dismiss the complaint against it. ... unanimously modified on the law by granting the motion of defendant Rochester City School District in part and dismissing the fourth and fifth causes of action against that defendant, and as modified the order is affirmed without costs.”
“Based on the foregoing, defendants' motions are denied.”
“The order granted in part and denied in part the motion of defendant Upstate New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for summary judgment.”
“The order, among other things, granted the motion of defendant Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for summary judgment dismissing plaintiffs' complaints against it.”
Draft for Judge Chimes with the record in hand
Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Chimes, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
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