Opinion
10-21-2015
Robert LUGO, appellant, v. Larissa TORRES, respondent.
Miller Zeiderman Wiederkehr & Schwarz, LLP, White Plains, N.Y. (Evan Wiederkehr of counsel), for appellant. Carton & Rosoff, P.C., White Plains, N.Y. (David M. Rosoff of counsel), for respondent.
Miller Zeiderman Wiederkehr & Schwarz, LLP, White Plains, N.Y. (Evan Wiederkehr of counsel), for appellant.
Carton & Rosoff, P.C., White Plains, N.Y. (David M. Rosoff of counsel), for respondent.
Opinion Appeal from an order of the Supreme Court, Westchester County (Susan M. Capeci, J.), entered September 26, 2014. The order, insofar as appealed from, granted that branch of the defendant's cross motion which was for an award of interim counsel fees in the sum of $40,000.
ORDERED that the order is affirmed insofar as appealed from, with costs.
The Supreme Court providently exercised its discretion in granting that branch of the defendant's cross motion which was for an award of interim counsel fees in the sum of $40,000, in light of the plaintiff's conduct, which resulted in unnecessarily protracting the litigation, and the parties' financial circumstances (see Domestic Relations Law § 237[a] ; Johnson v. Chapin, 12 N.Y.3d 461, 467, 881 N.Y.S.2d 373, 909 N.E.2d 66 ; DeCabrera v. Cabrera–Rosete, 70 N.Y.2d 879, 881, 524 N.Y.S.2d 176, 518 N.E.2d 1168 ; Vistocco v. Jardine, 116 A.D.3d 842, 844, 985 N.Y.S.2d 578 ; Prichep v. Prichep, 52 A.D.3d 61, 65, 858 N.Y.S.2d 667 ).
RIVERA, J.P., BALKIN, LEVENTHAL and DICKERSON, JJ., concur.