THE REFEREE DID NOT COMPLY WITH THE ORDER OF REFERENCE; SUPREME COURT’S RULINGS BASED UPON THE REFEREE’S ORDER WERE THEREFORE INVALID (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the referee did not comply with the order of reference and the referee’s order exceeded the scope of authority given by the order of reference. Therefore the grant of summary judgment, which was based on the referee’s order, was reversed:
A referee derives his or her authority from an order of reference by the court … , and the scope of the authority is defined by the order of reference (see CPLR 4311 … ). A referee who attempts to determine matters not referred to him or her by the order of reference acts beyond and in excess of his or her jurisdiction … .
Here, the order of reference directed the Referee to hear and determine the issue of the preliminary injunction. The Referee’s order, however, did not render a determination on the issue of the preliminary injunction. Brighton Leasing Corp. v Brighton Realty Corp., 2021 NY Slip Op 01384 Second Dept 3-10-21