The estate of an attorney who died 11 days before the statute of limitations ran out on a case can be held liable for the lawyer’s neglect of that case, a unanimous state appeals panel ruled Tuesday.

In his opinion in Cabrera v. Collazo, 310248/11, Appellate Division, First Department Justice Peter Tom (See Profile) rejected the estate’s “remarkable defense” that there could no liability because the attorney died while the statute of limitations was still running.