WHITE PLAINS, NY (June 15, 2026) — Raymond Fowler, administrator of the Estate of Jarrel Raymond Garris, has filed a formal petition in Westchester County Surrogate’s Court seeking judicial review of attorney fees, fiduciary commissions, funeral reimbursement, and distribution of the $300,000 wrongful death settlement reached with the City of New Rochelle and Detective Steven Conn.
The petition, filed May 12, 2026, under File No. 2023-3100/B and assigned to Surrogate’s Court Judge Brandon R. Sall, was submitted in response to the court’s instruction that a wrongful death compromise proceeding requires a verified petition, account, waivers where applicable, and attorney affirmation or other fee documentation.
The filing comes after Westchester County Supreme Court Justice Lewis J. Lubell enforced the settlement April 6, 2026, and issued an implementing order April 23, 2026, directing distribution of funds. Fowler has continued to contest multiple aspects of the case in both courts.
In the Surrogate’s Court petition, Fowler acknowledges the global settlement of $300,000 — with $200,000 allocated to the estate’s wrongful death claim and $50,000 each to himself and Janet Garris individually — but objects to approval or payment of attorney fees until the court reviews their reasonableness, along with any retainer agreement, claimed disbursements, and disputed authority issues.
Fowler also disputes any implication that he knowingly waived fiduciary commissions and requests judicial determination of that question pursuant to SCPA §2307. He states he personally paid funeral expenses for the decedent and seeks reimbursement prior to final distribution. He additionally requests that his individual settlement proceeds be identified, segregated, and distributed directly to him subject to court review.
The petition was signed May 7, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C., where Fowler resides, and was notarized in Wake County, N.C. Citing physical injury, financial hardship, and the burden of repeated travel between Raleigh and Westchester County, Fowler requests permission to appear virtually for future proceedings.
Court records show three additional filings in the matter following the petition: two clerk letters dated May 28 and June 1, 2026, and a correspondence entry dated May 28, 2026. The records are sealed. The estate remains open.
Jarrel Raymond Garris died July 7, 2023, after being shot during an encounter involving members of the New Rochelle Police Department. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed in Westchester County Supreme Court on Sept. 29, 2024, naming the City of New Rochelle and Det. Conn as defendants. The parties reached a mediated settlement March 27, 2025.
UPDATED 6/16/2026: Raymond Fowler posted a letter to the Talk of the Sound Facebook page that appears to be the correspondence he submitted to Westchester County Surrogate’s Court, filing it with Surrogate Brandon R. Sall on May 28, 2026, in response to a submission by former counsel dated June 9, 2026.
In the letter, Fowler argued that his authority as administrator remains intact, noting that the court’s own June 1, 2026 correspondence “expressly recognizes that I retain priority as Administrator of the Estate” and that no order has revoked his Letters of Administration, suspended his authority, or removed him as fiduciary.
Fowler cited a prior Surrogate’s Court ruling he says supports his position — that proceedings previously commenced on behalf of Tyisha Katie Pompey were dismissed Aug. 14, 2025, pursuant to EPTL § 5-4.1, on the ground that only a duly appointed fiduciary may prosecute such proceedings.
On attorney fees, Fowler acknowledged former counsel’s position that fees were fixed by retainer agreement but argued the court retains continuing authority to review their reasonableness, citing Matter of Freeman, 34 N.Y.2d 1 (1974). He said he terminated former counsel in October 2025 after learning of filings made on behalf of parties whose interests he characterized as adverse to those of the estate.
Fowler asked Surrogate Sall to review unresolved issues concerning attorney fees, distribution of his individual settlement proceeds, fiduciary commissions, funeral reimbursement, and “such other matters necessary to bring the Estate to a proper conclusion.”
The Surrogate’s Court docket reflects four filings to date: the wrongful death petition filed May 12; clerk letters dated May 28 and June 1, 2026; and the May 28 correspondence entry. The estate remains open. No hearing date is reflected in publicly available court records.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
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