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ALTHOUGH THE ATTORNEY REPRESENTING HIS MOTHER’S ESTATE IN A MEDICAL MALPRACTICE/WRONGFUL DEATH ACTION MAY BE A WITNESS, UNDER THE PARTICULAR FACTS OF THE CASE, DISQUALIFICATION PURSUANT TO THE ADVOCATE-WITNESS RULE WAS NOT REQUIRED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined that, although the attorney representing his mother’s estate in the medical malpractice/wrongful death action may be a witness, the advocate-witness rule, under the particular facts of this case, did not require disqualification:

… [T]he advocate-witness rules contained in the Rules of Professional Conduct (22 NYCRR 1200.0) provide guidance, but are not binding authority, for the courts in determining whether a party’s attorney should be disqualified during litigation  … . Rule 3.7(a) of the Rules of Professional Conduct … provides that, in general, “[a] lawyer shall not act as advocate before a tribunal in a matter in which the lawyer is likely to be a witness on a significant issue of fact.” There is an exception to this rule when “disqualification of the lawyer would work substantial hardship on the client”… . Further, the advocate-witness rule generally does not control where the attorney is also a litigant … . However, estate representatives represent the interests of the estate’s beneficiaries, rather than their own. Therefore, generally, the advocate-witness rule will prevail over a fiduciary-attorney’s right to self-representation … . …

Here, the other distributee affirmed that his interests in the lawsuit are identical to those of the plaintiff, whom he wished would remain as attorney for the estate. Accordingly, while the plaintiff is not a party in his individual capacity, his personal property interests as one of two distributees of the estate are at stake (see EPTL 5-4.4[a] …), and his interests appear to be identical to those of the estate … . Furthermore, the plaintiff affirmed that his attempt to retain different counsel for the estate was unsuccessful, such that his disqualification as counsel would essentially foreclose the claim, working substantial hardship on the estate and its distributees … . Greenberg v Grace Plaza Nursing & Rehabilitation Ctr., 2019 NY Slip Op 05390, Second Dept 7-3-19

 

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