Nora Freeman Engstrom, professor of law at Stanford University, said delays in cases are inevitable but called the lags in Soneeya’s “simply incomprehensible,” adding instances like hers could undermine public faith in the judiciary.

“Courts should provide redress, not the runaround,” Engstrom said. “Americans need to have the confidence that their justice system will diligently resolve their disputes. Speed is central to justice. It is trite but true that ‘justice delayed is justice denied.'”