Hyperlawhypertext legal database Garrett v. Wood 55 A.D. 281

← Cases

Garrett v. Wood

55 A.D. 281 Court N.Y. App. Div. English

Delivered by Edwards, J. :

Contents

Majority

p. 281
Lena Garrett, Respondent, v. Bradford R. Wood, Appellant.

Headnote

Damages—where several consecutive actions, some of which are settled, a/re hr ought to recover damages for the continued maintenance of a nuisance.
The plaintiff, in an action brought to recover damages caused by the maintenance of a nuisance on the defendant’s land, after obtaining judgment therein, brought two more actions, one against .the same defendant and the other against such defendant and others, to recover damages caused by its continued maintenance. The judgment recovered in the first action and the two other actions were subsequently settled. Thereafter the plaintiff commenced a fourth action.
Held, that the damages which were recoverable by her in the fourth action were those accruing from the time • of the commencement of the second and third actions and not those accruing from the time of -the commencement of the first action;
That evidence that the second and third actions were discontinued in reliance on the defendant’s promise to abate the nuisance did not change the situation.
Appeal by the defendant, Bradford R. Wood, from a judgment of the Supreme Court in favor of the plaintiff, entered in the office of the clerk of the county of Albany on the 30th day of April,. 1900, upon the report of a referee.
The action was brought to recover damages by reason of the maintenance of a nuisance on the defendant’s premises adjoining those of the plaintiff in the city of Albany.
On or about June 22, 1895, the plaintiff commenced an action against the defendant for damages resulting from the creation and maintenance of the nuisance complained of in this action, and on June 11,1897, recovered a judgment therein. On June 15,1897, the plaintiff commenced two other actions to recover damages for the maintenance of the same nuisance, the one against the defendant and the other against the defendant and others. On April 20, 1898, the judgment obtained on June 11, 1897, by the plaintiff against the defendant, and the other two actions brought by the plaintiff on June 15, 1897, were settled. The judgment was satisfied, a 'stipulation in each of the last two actions was signed by the attorneys • stating that the action had .been settled and consenting to its discontinuance, and on the following day an order of discontinuance in each of said actions was entered.
p. 282
On or about October 16, 1899, this action was brought to«recover damages in consequence of the maintenance by the defendant of the same nuisance.
The referee found that the plaintiff had expended for repairs incurred during the years 1896, 1897, 1898 and 1899 by reason of the nuisance, $120; that she has “ suffered a loss of one hundred and twenty-three dollars ($123) on, account of a loss of rent to her said premises from the 22d day of June, 1895,” the time of the commencement of the first action, “ to the 16th day of October, 1899,” the time of the commencement of this action ; and also that during the same period she “has suffered a loss of three hundred and forty-four dollars and twenty-five cents ($344.25) by reason of the depreciation of the rental value of her said premises.” For these three items, amounting to $587.25, he found that the plaintiff is entitled to judgment against the defendant.
Arthur I. Andrews, for the appellant.,
Barnwell Rhett Heyward, for the respondent.

The judgment is well supported by the evidence, except as to the amount of damages.

The learned referee erred in awarding damages to the plaintiff from the 22d day of June, 1895, the time of the commencement of the first action, instead of from June 15, 1897, the time of the commencement of the next two actions which were settled in April, 1898. These two actions were for damages by reason of the maintenance' of the same nuisance for which the first was brought, and it appears by the testimony of the plaintiff’s attorney that there was a settlement of these two suits and of tlie judgment in the first action; and the amount agreed upoii was paid to him for the plaintiff. The judgment .was satisfied, and on stipulations stating that the two actions were settled, orders of discontinuance were entered. ■ The damages recoverable in those two suits were such as had accrued at the time of the" commencement of the actions (Uline v. N. Y. C. & H. R. R. R. Co., 101 N. Y. 98 ), and those must have been embraced in the settlement.

It is true that the plaintiff’s attorney testified that the settlement

p. 283
was made on the express understanding that the defendant would put his property in such a condition as to prevent further overflow on the plaintiff’s premises, and while this would not preclude the plaintiff from maintaining an action for damages thereafter arising, it would not permit her to recover for those within the settlement. She must be limited to such damages as have subsequently accrued.

But this error does not necessitate a reversal of the judgment, as all the elements appear from which the amount which should be deducted from the recovery can be determined.

The item of $120 allowed for repairs for 1896, 1897, 1898 and 1899, included $32:69 paid for repairs in 1896, and $35.12 paid for repairs caused by the overflow on May 5 or 6, 1897. These two items, amounting to $67.81, should be deducted. The referee, also, erroneously allowed as damages from June 22, 1895, to October 16, 1899, the item of $123 for “loss of rent” ■ besides the $344.25 “ depreciation of the rental value.” The true measure of damages is the depreciation in rental value by reason of the nuisance. (Jutte v. Hughes, 67 N. Y. 267 .) The $123 should be deducted from the amount of recovery. The $344.25 depreciation in rental value from June 22,1895, to October 16, 1899, should be reduced by deducting the proportionate value from June 22, 1895, to June 15, 1897, the time of the commencement of the actions which were settled, which proportionate deduction is $162.

I find no other errors for which the judgment should be reversed or modified, and am of the opinion that there should be deducted therefrom the sums of $67.81, $123 and $162, amounting in the aggregate to the sum of $352.81, and as thus reduced, should be affirmed, without costs of the appeal to either party.

All concurred, except Mbbwik,. J., for reversal.

Judgment modified as per opinion, and, as modified, affirmed, without costs to either party.

Cases cited