ABSENT A FINDING THE GUARDIAN OF THE PROPERTY OF AN INCAPACITATED PERSON FAILED TO PROPERLY DISCHARGE HER DUTIES, THE COURT SHOULD NOT HAVE ORDERED THE GUARDIAN TO PAY THE ACCOUNTANT WHO ASSISTED IN PREPARING THE FINAL ACCOUNT FROM HER OWN FUNDS (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined that, absent a showing of misconduct, the guardian of the property of an incapacitated person should not have been required to pay the accountant used to prepare the final account from her own funds:
A court is authorized to award “reasonable compensation” to a guardian (Mental Hygiene Law § 81.28[a]). The award of compensation “must take into account the specific authority of the guardian or guardians to provide for the personal needs and/or property management for the incapacitated person, and the services provided to the incapacitated person by such guardian” (id. ). However, “[i]f the court finds that the guardian has failed to discharge his or her duties satisfactorily in any respect, the court may deny or reduce the compensation which would otherwise be allowed” (Mental Hygiene Law § 81.28[b]).
Here, since the Supreme Court did not find that the guardian failed to discharge her duties satisfactorily in any respect, the court should not have directed the guardian to pay the accountant’s fee from her own funds … . Matter of Ruby T. (Carrion), 2018 NY Slip Op 08314, Second Dept 12-5-18
MENTAL HYGIENE LAW (ABSENT A FINDING THE GUARDIAN OF THE PROPERTY OF AN INCAPACITATED PERSON FAILED TO PROPERLY DISCHARGE HER DUTIES, THE COURT SHOULD NOT HAVE ORDERED THE GUARDIAN TO PAY THE ACCOUNTANT WHO ASSISTED IN PREPARING THE FINAL ACCOUNT FROM HER OWN FUNDS (SECOND DEPT))/GUARDIANS (MENTAL HYGIENE LAW, ABSENT A FINDING THE GUARDIAN OF THE PROPERTY OF AN INCAPACITATED PERSON FAILED TO PROPERLY DISCHARGE HER DUTIES, THE COURT SHOULD NOT HAVE ORDERED THE GUARDIAN TO PAY THE ACCOUNTANT WHO ASSISTED IN PREPARING THE FINAL ACCOUNT FROM HER OWN FUNDS (SECOND DEPT))
