From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Touton v. Uillaume Touton

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department
Mar 4, 2010
71 A.D.3d 443 (N.Y. App. Div. 2010)

Opinion

March 4, 2010.

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Laura E. Drager, J.), entered July 22, 2009, which, insofar as appealed from, denied plaintiffs cross motion to discharge her attorneys for cause and require disgorgement of fees, unanimously affirmed, with costs.

Before: Andrias, J.P., Nardelli, Catterson, DeGrasse and Manzanet-Daniels, JJ.


The motion court correctly found that there was no conflict of interest during the period that plaintiff's attorneys had performed their services, since it was uncontradicted that they were unaware of plaintiffs connection with another action in which the firm subsequently appeared, and, absent any specific information or other reason for doing so, the firm had no duty to inquire about the possibility of any such connection. In any event, even if the firm's appearance in the other action were a conflict of interest, forfeiture of fees would not be warranted ( see Matter of Wingate, Russotti Shapiro, LLP v Friedman, Khafif Assoc., 41 AD3d 367, 370, lv denied 10 NY3d 702; Decolator, Cohen DiPrisco v Lysaght, Lysaght Kramer, 304 AD2d 86, 91). In view of the foregoing, it is unnecessary to address plaintiffs other contentions.


Summaries of

Touton v. Uillaume Touton

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department
Mar 4, 2010
71 A.D.3d 443 (N.Y. App. Div. 2010)
Case details for

Touton v. Uillaume Touton

Case Details

Full title:WENDY TOUTON, Appellant, v. GUILLAUME TOUTON, Defendant. COHEN LANS LLP…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department

Date published: Mar 4, 2010

Citations

71 A.D.3d 443 (N.Y. App. Div. 2010)
894 N.Y.S.2d 870