Opinion
01-00322
February 7, 2002
March 11, 2002.
In an action for a divorce and ancillary relief, the defendant appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Suffolk County (Oliver, J.), dated November 17, 2000, which granted her motion for an attorney's fee in the sum of only $1,000.
Russell I. Marnell, P.C., East Meadow, N.Y. (Scott R. Schwartz of counsel), for appellant.
Philip J. Castrovinci, Smithtown, N.Y. (Ruth Sovronsky of counsel), for respondent.
NANCY E. SMITH, J.P., GLORIA GOLDSTEIN, LEO F. McGINITY, and HOWARD MILLER, JJ.
ORDERED that the order is affirmed, with costs.
An evaluation of what constitutes reasonable counsel fees is a matter that is generally left to the sound discretion of the trial court (see, DeCabrera v. Cabrera-Rosete, 70 N.Y.2d 879, 881; Pena v. Pena, 255 A.D.2d 498; Matter of Bailey, Marshall Hoeniger v. Merzon, 210 A.D.2d 474), which is often in the best position to judge those factors integral to the fixing of counsel fees (see, Pauk v. Pauk, 232 A.D.2d 386; O'Neil v. O'Neil, 193 A.D.2d 16, 20; Levine v. Levine, 179 A.D.2d 625, 626). The Supreme Court providently exercised its discretion in awarding an attorney's fee in this case.