A Queens Surrogate's Court judge failed to disclose for months that his law clerk was dating a Uniondale attorney arguing cases in his courtroom, including one in which an NYPD detective was locked in an inheritance dispute with his Long Island-based sibling, court records show.

The conflict of interest allegations center on Judge Peter Kelly, who until late 2023 had run the Queens Surrogate's Court for more than 14 years, and his principal law clerk and chief legal adviser, Zachary Zayas, whose father is the state court system’s chief administrative judge.

Court records show Zayas, 30, was dating attorney Cheryl Katz, 36, during a period when she represented Sean Hynes, 51, of Bellerose, in an inheritance battle with his sister, Shannon Hynes, 46, of Franklin Square. Zayas and Kat

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