Matter of Matthew L.
2011 NY Slip Op 05277 [85 AD3d 917]
June 14, 2011
Appellate Division, Second Department
As corrected through Wednesday, August 10, 2011


In the Matter of Matthew L. Peter M. Redmond, Respondent;Virginia E.M.L., Appellant.

[*1]Robert A. Ross, Huntington, N.Y. (Theresa M. Mahlstadt of counsel), for appellant.

Peter M. Redmond, P.C., Bayside, N.Y., for respondent.

In a guardianship proceeding pursuant to Mental Hygiene Law article 81, Virginia E.M.L.appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Thomas, J.), entered November 10,2010, which granted the petition of Peter M. Redmond, acting as attorney for the guardian ofMatthew L., an incapacitated person, for an award of counsel fees in the sum of $12,037.50,directed that Nicholas L. (Anonymous), as the guardian of Matthew L., the incapacitated person,pay the sum of $12,037.50 to Peter M. Redmond from the income received or to be received byMatthew L., the incapacitated person, and determined that such expenses for legal services wereincurred as necessities for the health, maintenance, and welfare of Matthew L., the incapacitatedperson, and, in effect, denied her application to dismiss the petition without prejudice to thecommencement of a proceeding for the same relief in the Surrogate's Court, Queens County, orto transfer the matter to the Surrogate's Court, Queens County, pursuant to CPLR 325.

Ordered that on the Court's own motion, the notice of appeal from so much of the order asdenied the appellant's application to dismiss the petition without prejudice to the commencementof a proceeding for the same relief in the Surrogate's Court, Queens County, or to transfer thematter to the Surrogate's Court, Queens County, pursuant to CPLR 325, is treated as anapplication for leave to appeal from that portion of the order, and leave to appeal is granted(see CPLR 5701 [c]); and it is further,

Ordered that the appeal from so much of the order as granted the petition of Peter M.Redmond, acting as attorney for the guardian of Matthew L., an incapacitated person, for anaward of counsel fees in the sum of $12,037.50, directed that Nicholas L., as the guardian ofMatthew L., the incapacitated person, pay the sum of $12,037.50 to Peter M. Redmond from theincome received or to be received by Matthew L., the incapacitated person, and determined thatsuch expenses for legal services were incurred as necessities for the health, maintenance, andwelfare of Matthew L., the incapacitated person, is dismissed, as the appellant is not aggrieved bythose provisions of the order (see CPLR 5511); and it is further,

Ordered that the order is affirmed insofar as reviewed, with costs payable by the [*2]appellant personally.

A person is aggrieved within the meaning of CPLR 5511 "when he or she asks for relief butthat relief is denied in whole or in part," or, when someone "asks for relief against him or her,which the person opposes, and the relief is granted in whole or in part" (Mixon v TBV, Inc., 76 AD3d 144,156-157 [2010] [emphasis omitted]; seeMahmood v Gutman, 81 AD3d 792 [2011]). Applying these principles to the matterbefore us, the appellant is not aggrieved by the provisions of the order which granted the petitionof Peter M. Redmond, and her appeal is partially dismissed, accordingly.

There is no merit to the appellant's contention that the Supreme Court erred in entering theorder appealed from because the proposed order sought to be settled was submitted in violationof the 60-day rule enunciated in 22 NYCRR 202.48 (a), as the decision upon which the order wasentered merely contains the directive "submit order" and does not expressly direct that theproposed order was to be submitted on notice (see Funk v Barry, 89 NY2d 364, 365[1996]; cf. Citibank v Velazquez, 284 AD2d 364 [2001]).

The appellant's remaining contentions either are without merit or need not be reached in lightof our determination. Dillon, J.P., Balkin, Belen and Sgroi, JJ., concur.


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