A GROUP representing indigent defense attorneys in Manhattan said yesterday that its members would refuse to accept new Family Court cases in protest of low fees, starting immediately.

The action was announced yesterday afternoon in a two-sentence letter sent to Supervising Judge Susan Knipps of New York County Family Court. The ad hoc group said that although a “significant” number of 18-B panel members would decline new cases, the attorneys would continue to represent their present clients due to “ethical obligations.”