Sunday, August 17, 2008

Manhattan Surrogate Court The Shame of NY

Senator Robert Kennedy testifying in 1966 before an Albany state legislative committee called the New York Surrogate Court "A political toll booth exacting tribute from widows and orphans."

Once informally known as "the widows and orphans court," the Surrogate's Court is supposed to protect estates and the heirs of people who die without a proper will. Instead according to press reports it functions as an ATM machine that distributes millions of dollars a year to connected predatory lawyers in fees.

“A rogues' gallery of chiselers and crooks has flocked to the courts over the years, running up bills and draining money that rightfully belongs to the heirs and descendants of the dead.” -NY Daily News, August 14, 2008

What is most shocking about the reported corruption of the modern Manhattan Surrogate Court is not that it has eluded reform for over 100 years or that despite the amount of corruption uncovered nobody has even been sent to jail for any of the wrong doing, it is that everyone has turned their backs and allowed this orgy of stealing from the dead to occur from generation to generation, with elected officials, good government groups and the media watching in silence.
Update
"The Surrogate Court has a checkered reputation. In Manhattan, three candidates are pledging to fix it. Their plans are quite different. But there's a common theme: change.
A New York Times editorial deftly described the Surrogate race in Manhattan: “[The] Democratic primary for Manhattan Surrogate underscores the case for reform … capable candidates — all promising reform of the court's patronage appointments — vied for the job, which involves dispensing millions of dollars in fees to lawyers acting as executors, guardians and estate trustees.”Unfortunately, that editorial was published 18 years ago (click here to read it), and this year’s Surrogate race is a rerun: an expensive slugfest in which every candidate promises to radically change the court. But real reforms are few. Indeed, former Surrogate Eve Preminger admitted in a recent interview that many lawyers who worked closely with that court never expected her to follow through with her 1990 campaign promises. “Nobody believed I was serious, everybody thought it was a publicity trip,” she said, maintaining a gloomy outlook on quick Surrogate Court fixes." - Judicial Reports, August, August 27, 2008

3 comments:

Ellian Lopez said...

John Reddy is the most qualified candidate to clean up Manhattan Surrogate's Court. He already has a ten point plan for Surrogate Court reform. Read it at www.reddyforsurrogate.com
Remember to vate Sept. 9th.

Ellian Lopez said...

John Reddy is the most qualified candidate to clean up Manhattan Surrogate's Court. He already has a ten point plan for Surrogate Court reform. Read it at www.reddyforsurrogate.com
Remember to vate Sept. 9th.

Ellian Lopez said...

September 4th NY Daily News:

"Anderson has borrowed $225,000 from her longtime employer, trust lawyer Seth Rubenstein, who is the grandson of a surrogate and the father of Manhattan lawyer Joshua Rubenstein, who heads the trust and estate section of a major law firm.

That's almost certainly a violation of Article 14, Section 114 of New York State election law, which specifies that a campaign loan "shall be deemed, to the extent not repaid by the date of the primary, general or special election, as the case may be, a contribution."

The $225,000 is far above the legal contribution limit. So Anderson, if she wins, will likely be in violation of the law."

Anderson has no intention of paying back that "Loan" and will only be subject to a small fine for violating the election law. Sad, a candidate for Judge violatig the law on her way to the bench.

John Reddy is a reformer with a 10 point plan on cleaning up Surrogate's Court. He worked hard to raise the money to pay for those mailers, and every contribution he got was legal and didn't violate the elections law.

The lawyer that loaned Nora Anderson the $225,000 will be appearing before her as a judge for guardianships if she is elected. You tell me, do you think he will get his money back tenfold with her as judge?

Vote for reform. Vote for Reddy.
www.reddyforsurrogate.com