Case Name: Surgical Design Corporation, Respondent, v. Jamir Correa et al., Appellants. (Action No. 1.); Eliana Correa, Plaintiff, v. Surgical Design Corporation et al., Respondents. (Action No. 2.)
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 2003-10-14
Citations: 309 A.D.2d 800
Docket Number: 
Parties: Surgical Design Corporation, Respondent, v Jamir Correa et al., Appellants. (Action No. 1.) Eliana Correa, Plaintiff, v Surgical Design Corporation et al., Respondents. (Action No. 2.)
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 309
Pages: 800–800

Head Matter:
Surgical Design Corporation, Respondent, v Jamir Correa et al., Appellants. (Action No. 1.) Eliana Correa, Plaintiff, v Surgical Design Corporation et al., Respondents. (Action No. 2.)
[765 NYS2d 521]

Opinion:
In related actions, inter alia, to recover corporate property and funds, the defendants in Action No. 1 appeal, by permission, from stated portions of an order of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Golia, J.), dated August 26, 2002, which, among other things, sua sponte appointed a private attorney to be compensated by the parties to serve as a referee to oversee discovery.
Ordered that the order is modified by deleting the provision thereof which sua sponte appointed a private attorney to be compensated by the parties to serve as a referee to oversee discovery; as so modified, the order is affirmed insofar as appealed from, without costs or disbursements, and the matter is remitted to the Supreme Court, Queens County, for the appointment of a Judicial Hearing Officer to serve as a referee.
The Supreme Court lacked the authority to appoint a private attorney to serve as a referee to oversee discovery, and to be compensated by the parties, without their consent (see CPLR 3104; Csanko v County of Westchester, 273 AD2d 434 [2000]).
The parties' remaining contentions are without merit. Prudenti, P.J., Smith, Friedmann and H. Miller, JJ., concur.