SCPA § 703

Letters evidence of authority; effect of appeal 1  ·  as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 703. Letters evidence of authority; effect of appeal

1. Subject to the provisions of the succeeding section, letters granted by the court are conclusive evidence of the authority of the persons to whom they are granted until the decree granting them is reversed or modified upon appeal or the letters are suspended, modified or revoked by the court granting them.

2. A certificate of letters testamentary or of administration duly issued by the clerk of the court shall be sufficient evidence, subject to the provisions of subdivision one hereof, of the existence of such letters and the identity of the fiduciary for all purposes for six months after the date of such issuance.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/SCP/703

In plain English

Court-issued letters prove a fiduciary's authority unless later changed.

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 1 — The Surrogate's Court in Plain English; Volume 2 — The Surrogate's Court Procedure Act; Volume 5 — Your Career: Surrogate's Court in Plain English.