ATTORNEY’S FEES AND EXPERT WITNESS FEES IN THIS MAINTENANCE-ARREARS ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED WITHOUT AN EVIDENTIARY HEARING (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined that the award of attorney’s fees and expert witness fees to defendant-wife who sued for and was awarded maintenance arrears:
… Supreme Court erred in awarding attorneys’ fees and expert witness fees requested by the defendant without evaluating the defendant’s claims concerning the extent and value of those services at an evidentiary hearing … . Accordingly, the matter must be remitted to the Supreme Court, Westchester County, for a hearing on those issues and a new determination thereafter of those branches of the defendant’s motions which were for an award of attorneys’ fees and expert fees. Leung v Gose, 2022 NY Slip Op 06476, Second Dept 11-16-22
Practice Point: Here the wife was awarded maintenance arrears but the judge should have held an evidentiary hearing before awarding attorney’s fees and expert witness fees to the wife.