Opinion
13447 Index No. 154928/17 Case No. 2020-01475
03-25-2021
Carey & Associates LLC, New York (Michael Q. Carey of counsel), for appellants. Corey Stark, PLLC, New York (Corey Stark of counsel), and The Dweck Law Firm, LLP, New York (H.P. Sean Dweck of counsel), for respondent.
Carey & Associates LLC, New York (Michael Q. Carey of counsel), for appellants.
Corey Stark, PLLC, New York (Corey Stark of counsel), and The Dweck Law Firm, LLP, New York (H.P. Sean Dweck of counsel), for respondent.
Manzanet–Daniels, J.P., Kern, Moulton, Shulman, JJ.
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Anthony Cannataro, J.), entered on or about January 30, 2020, which, inter alia, dismissed defendants' counterclaims for unpaid fees for services rendered before they failed to comply with a deadline set in an action in federal court, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
The counterclaims were properly dismissed. Unlike a discharge without cause, where "the attorney is limited to recovering in quantum meruit the reasonable value of the services rendered ..., [w]here the discharge is for cause, the attorney has no right to compensation or a retaining lien, notwithstanding a specific retainer agreement" ( Campagnola v. Mulholland, Minion & Roe, 76 N.Y.2d 38, 44, 556 N.Y.S.2d 239, 555 N.E.2d 611 [1990] ). As defendants do not challenge Supreme Court's finding, after a hearing, that plaintiff terminated them for cause in the prior action, recovery of unpaid fees is barred.
We have considered defendants' remaining arguments and find them unavailing.