N.Y. JUD Law § 119

§ 119. Official referees of the city court of the city of New York.\nEvery official referee of the city court of the city of New York in the\nfirst or second judicial department who, pursuant to former provisions\nof this section, is acting and in the discharge of his duties as such\nofficial referee at the time this section as hereby amended takes\neffect, may continue to act as referee, without any compensation to be\npaid by the parties, to hear and report upon or to hear and determine:\n(1) any action, claim, matter, motion or special proceeding pending in\nthe city court of the city of New York, referable by statute or the\nrules and practice of said court, in which the justice making the order\nof reference shall deem that for any reason the expenses of such\nreference shall not be borne by the parties to such action, claim,\nmatter, motion or proceeding; (2) any action, claim, matter or special\nproceeding in such court referred upon consent of the parties thereto.\n Any such official referee of the city court may sit and discharge the\nduties in any county within the city of New York.\n Such referee or referees shall not charge or receive from the parties\nto an action, claim, matter, motion or proceeding referred, any fee or\ncompensation for any service as such referee. If the services of a\nstenographer should be required in the action, claim, matter, motion or\nproceeding, such stenographer shall be selected by said referee from the\nofficial stenographers of the city court and the parties shall not be\nrequired to pay any of the fees of such stenographer for taking the\ntestimony or furnishing one copy thereof to the referee if the referee\nshall order such copy.\n The justices of the appellate division in each department shall have\npower to fix the times and places for the hearing of references by\nofficial referees of the city court of the city of New York hereby\ncontinued in office, and to assign such official referees for such\nservice to any court of record within such department, and to adopt,\namend or rescind rules therefor.\n