§ 35-a. Statements to be filed by judges or justices fixing or approving fees, commissions, or other compensation for persons appointed by courts to perform services in actions and proceedings. 1. (a) On the first business day of each week any judge or justice who has during the preceding week fixed or approved one or more fees or allowances of more than five hundred dollars for services performed by any person appointed by the court in any capacity, including but not limited to appraiser, special guardian, guardian ad litem, general guardian, referee, counsel, special referee, auctioneer, special examiner, conservator, committee of incompetent or receiver, shall file a statement with the office of court administration on a form to be prescribed by the state administrator. The statement shall show the name and address of the appointee, the county and the title of the court in which the services of the appointee were performed, the court docket index or file number assigned to the action or proceeding, if any, the title of the action or proceeding, the nature of the action or proceeding, the name of the judge or justice who appointed the person, the person or interest which the appointee represented, whether or not the proceeding was contested, the fee fixed or approved by the judge or justice, the gross value of the subject matter of the proceeding, the number of hours spent by the appointee in performing the service, the nature of the services performed and such other information relating to the appointment as the state administrator shall require. The judge or justice shall certify that the fee, commission, allowance or other compensation fixed or approved is a reasonable award for the services rendered by the appointee, or is fixed by statute. If the fee, commission, allowance or other compensation for services performed pursuant to an appointment described in this section is either specified as to amount by statute or fixed by statute as a percentage of the value of the subject matter of the action or proceeding, the judge or justice shall specify the statutory fee, commission or allowance and shall specify the section of the statute authorizing the payment of the fee, commission, allowance or other compensation.(b) Paragraph (a) shall not apply to any compensation awarded to appointees assigned to represent indigent persons pursuant to Article 18-B of the county law, counsel assigned pursuant to section thirty-five of the judiciary law or counsel appointed pursuant to the family court act.
(c) Any judge or justice who fixes or approves compensation for services performed by persons appointed as referees to examine accounts of incompetents pursuant to section 78.25 of the mental hygiene law shall file, annually, with the office of court administration a statement containing such information regarding such appointments as the state administrator shall require. 2. The office of court administration shall annually submit to the appellate division of the supreme court in each of the judicial departments of the state a report containing a summary of the information contained in the statements filed with it pursuant to this section by the judges and justices sitting in courts in that department during the preceding year. Each appellate division of the supreme court shall keep and file such reports and shall have power to make such rules respecting the supervision of all such court appointees within its judicial department as it may deem necessary. 3. The statements and reports required by this section shall be matters of public record and available for public inspection. Each court may permit the information contained therein to be made available for publication at such times and in such manner as it may deem proper.
