THE RECORD DOES NOT REFLECT THAT MOTHER IN THIS CHILD-SUPPORT PROCEEDING WAS INFORMED OF HER RIGHT TO COUNSEL, HER RIGHT TO AN ADJOURNMENT TO RETAIN COUNSEL, OR HER WAIVER OF THAT RIGHT; NEW HEARING ORDERED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Family Court, determined the Support Magistrate erred by not, on the record, informing mother of her right to counsel in this proceeding brought by father seeking child support from mother:

The Support Magistrate erred in failing to advise the mother that she had “an absolute right to be represented by counsel at the hearing at [her] own expense, and that [s]he was entitled to an adjournment for the purpose of retaining the services of an attorney” … . The Support Magistrate further erred in proceeding with the hearing without an explicit waiver of the right to counsel from the mother as there is no word or act in the record upon which the Family Court could have concluded that the mother explicitly waived that right … . Matter of Moor v Moor, 2023 NY Slip Op 03918, Second Dept 7-26-23

Practice Point: Mother appeared pro se in this proceeding before a Support Magistrate brought by father for child support from mother. There is nothing on the record indicating mother was informed of her right to counsel, her right to an adjournment to retain counsel, or her waiver of her right to counsel. New hearing ordered.