Opinion
2014-07260, Index No. 22481/08.
04-06-2016
BING HUI CHEN, et al., plaintiffs, v. SPEEDWAY PLUMBING CORP., et al., defendants; Fortunato & Fortunato, PLLC, nonparty-appellant; Morelli Alters Ratner, LLP, nonparty-respondent (and a third-party action).
Fortunato & Fortunato, PLLC, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Louis A. Badolato of counsel), nonparty-appellant pro se. Morelli Alters Ratner, LLP, New York, N.Y. (David L. Sobiloff and Perry S. Fallick of counsel), nonparty-respondent pro se.
Fortunato & Fortunato, PLLC, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Louis A. Badolato of counsel), nonparty-appellant pro se.
Morelli Alters Ratner, LLP, New York, N.Y. (David L. Sobiloff and Perry S. Fallick of counsel), nonparty-respondent pro se.
REINALDO E. RIVERA, J.P., MARK C. DILLON, SHERI S. ROMAN, and COLLEEN D. DUFFY, JJ.
In an action to recover damages for personal injuries, etc., nonparty Fortunato & Fortunato, PLLC, appeals, as limited by its brief, from so much of an order of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Ruchelsman, J.), dated July 2, 2014, as denied that branch of its motion which was to compel nonparty-respondent Morelli Alters Ratner, LLP, to submit payment for disbursements and copying fees prior to the surrender of its litigation file in the action.
ORDERED that the order is reversed insofar as appealed from, on the law, with costs, and that branch of the motion of nonparty Fortunato & Fortunato, PLLC, which was to compel nonparty respondent Morelli Alters Ratner, LLP, to submit payment for disbursements and copying fees prior to the surrender of its litigation file in the action is granted.
“Under New York law a client may discharge an attorney at any time, with or without cause” (Lai Ling Cheng v. Modansky Leasing Co., 73 N.Y.2d 454, 457, 541 N.Y.S.2d 742, 539 N.E.2d 570 ; see Campagnola v. Mulholland, Minion & Roe, 76 N.Y.2d 38, 43, 556 N.Y.S.2d 239, 555 N.E.2d 611 ). If a client discharges an attorney without cause, the attorney possesses a common-law retaining lien on the client's file in his or her possession and is entitled to recover compensation from the client measured by the fair and reasonable value of the services rendered, regardless of whether that amount is more or less than the amount provided in the contract or retainer agreement (see Lai Ling Cheng v. Modansky Leasing Co., 73 N.Y.2d at 457–458, 541 N.Y.S.2d 742, 539 N.E.2d 570 ; see also Mosiello v. Velenzuela, 84 A.D.3d 1188, 1189, 924 N.Y.S.2d 480 ). “Absent evidence of discharge for cause, a court should not order turnover of an outgoing attorney's file before the client fully pays the attorney's disbursements or provides security therefor” (Warsop v. Novik, 50 A.D.3d 608, 609, 856 N.Y.S.2d 607 ; see Law Firm of Ravi Batra, P.C. v. Rabinowich, 77 A.D.3d 532, 909 N.Y.S.2d 706 ; Zito v. Fischbein Badillo Wagner Harding, 58 A.D.3d 532, 533, 871 N.Y.S.2d 138 ; Gonzalez v. City of New York, 45 A.D.3d 347, 348, 846 N.Y.S.2d 92 ). In its opposition to that branch of the appellant's motion which was to compel payment of disbursements and copying fees prior to the surrender of its litigation file in the underlying action, the respondent failed to establish that the appellant was discharged for cause. The respondent's submission of an affidavit from the translator for the respondent's client was insufficient to oppose the motion, as the affidavit failed to state the translator's qualifications (see Rosenberg v. Piller, 116 A.D.3d 1023, 1025, 985 N.Y.S.2d 250 ; cf. National Puerto Rican Day Parade, Inc. v. Casa Publs., Inc., 79 A.D.3d 592, 594, 914 N.Y.S.2d 120 ).
Accordingly, the Supreme Court should have granted that branch of the appellant's motion which was to compel the respondent to submit payment for disbursements and copying fees prior to the surrender of its litigation file in the action (see Sterling Corporate Tax Credit Fund XXV, L.P. v. Youngblood Senior Hous. Assoc., LLC, 115 A.D.3d 932, 933, 982 N.Y.S.2d 392 ; Law Firm of Ravi Batra, P.C. v. Rabinowich, 77 A.D.3d at 533, 909 N.Y.S.2d 706 ; Zito v. Fischbein Badillo Wagner Harding, 58 A.D.3d at 533, 871 N.Y.S.2d 138 ; Warsop v. Novik, 50 A.D.3d at 609, 856 N.Y.S.2d 607 ).