Case Name: In the Matter of the Estate of Frederick Secor, Deceased. Joseph F. Haher, Appellant; Bertha Secor et al., Respondents. (And Two Other Proceedings.)
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1972-04-17
Citations: 39 A.D.2d 575
Docket Number: 
Parties: In the Matter of the Estate of Frederick Secor, Deceased. Joseph F. Haher, Appellant; Bertha Secor et al., Respondents. (And Two Other Proceedings.)
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 39
Pages: 575–576

Head Matter:
In the Matter of the Estate of Frederick Secor, Deceased. Joseph F. Haher, Appellant; Bertha Secor et al., Respondents. (And Two Other Proceedings.)

Opinion:
Decree of the Surrogate's Court, Rockland County, dated June 28, 1971, fixing $11,000 as the compensation of appellant, an attorney, "for all his legal services rendered and to be rendered to the estate " of the decedent " through final accounting and distribution by the executor ", affirmed, without costs. Ordinarily the " authority of the surrogate is limited to fixing the value of services already rendered, but not those to be rendered in the future " (3A Warren's Heaton Surrogates' Court [6th ed.], § 295, par. 5, subpar. [g]; Matter of Starbuck, 225 App. Div. 689). But here the services yet to be rendered were of such a trifling nature when compared to those already rendered that it is our view that the fact that the Surrogate fixed the attorney's compensation for services rendered and to be rendered is not such as to require modification of the decree (cf. Matter of Tomany, 258 App. Div. 1060). Hopkins, Acting P. J.,. Martuscello, Christ, Brennan and Benjamin, JJ., concur.