Grasso v. Holbrook, Cabot & Daly Contracting Co.

This action is brought under chapter 600, p. 1748, of the Laws of 1902, for the plaintiff so avers in his complaint, and the trial court in rendering its decision, without demurrer on the part of the plaintiff said: “In this case plaintiff admits that he cannot maintain the action under the common law and elects to proceed under chapter 600, p. 1748, of the Laws of 1902.” In par-: agraph 4 of his amended answer the defendant alleged “that no notice pursuant to section 2 of chapter 600, p. 1749, of the Laws of 1902, entitled 'An act to extend and regulate the liability of employers to make compensation for personal injuries suffered by employés/ of the time, place, and cause of injury alleged in the complaint was given to the defendant herein prior to the commencement of this action.” The action was begun prior to the service of any notice. The sole question on this appeal is whether service of a.no tice was a condition precedent to the bringing of this action. The First Department of this court has decided that that was a condition precedent. Gmaehle v. Rosenberg, 80 App. Div. 541 , 80 N. Y. Supp. 705 ; Id., 83 App. Div. 339 , 82 N. Y. Supp. 366 ; Johnson v. Roach, 83 App. Div. 351 , 82 N. Y. Supp. 203 . And the same rule has been announced in Veginan v. Morse, 160 Mass. 143 , 35 N. E. 451 . I think that those decisions are correct, and that we should follow them.

It is insisted by the learned counsel for the appellant that the Court of Appeals in Gmaehle v. Rosenberg, 178 N. Y. 147 , 70 N. E. 411 , reversing Gmaehle v. Rosenberg, 87 App. Div. 631 , 84 N. Y. Supp. 1127 , has rejected the doctrine of Johnson v. Roach, supra. My opinion is to the contrary. Gmaehle v. Rosenberg, 87 App. Div. 631 , 84 N. Y. Supp. 1127 , the judgment reversed ut supra, is not reported save that it is stated that “on the authority of Gmaehle v. Rosenberg, 83 App. Div. 339 , 82 N. Y. Supp. 366 ,” the judgment is reversed, with costs. In Gmaehle v. Rosenberg, 83 App. Div. 339 , 82 N. Y. Supp. 366 , the court held that chapter 600, p. 1748, of the Laws of 1902, is a general act, which applies to every action brought after its passage by servant against master, whether under the common law or any statute, and that the rule as to notice laid down in same case ( 80 App. Div. 541 , 80 N. Y. Supp. 705 ) must apply, though the complaint was framed under section 18 of the Labor Law (Laws 1897, p. 467, c. 415). The question certified to the Court of Appeals on the appeal from the said judgment in 87 App. Div. 631 , 84 N. Y. Supp. 1127 , was: “Is the service of a notice of the time, place, and cause.of the injury by the servant upon the master within 120 days after the occurrence of the accident, as provided for by chapter 600, p. 1748, of the Laws of 1902, entitled 'An act to extend and regulate the liability of employers to make compensation' for personal injuries suffered by employés/ a condition

The learned counsel for the appellant says that, “if the act in question had used the word ‘commenced,’ instead of the word ‘maintained,’ there might not be any question as to the interpretation which should be placed upon said act.” I think that the word “maintained” in this statute is synonymous or equipollent with the word “begun” or “commenced” to the effect that the requirement is a condition precedent. Burbank v. Inhabitants of Auburn, 31 Me. 590 ; Boutiller v. Steamboat Milwaukee, 8 Minn. 97 , 105 (Gil. 72); Smith v. Lyon, 44 Conn. 178 ; Byers v. Bourret, 64 Cal. 73 , 28 Pac. 61 . The expression of Platt, B., in Moon v. Durden, 2 Ex. 21: “The verb ‘to maintain’ in pleading has a distinct technical signification. It signifies to support what has already been brought into existence”—is often quoted. But examination of the report shows that the phrase under consideration was “no suit shall be brought or maintained," and the question was as to the retrospective force of the statute. The other judges did not agree with the opinion. They were of opinion that the expression “or maintained” was redundant or surplusage. And Alderson, B., in his opinion says: “If it had been stated that ‘no action shall be brought’ or only that no action shall be maintained, it seems to me clear that we should have considered the words ‘brought’ and ‘maintained’ as synonymous, and as prohibiting the success of future suits alone.” Chapter 572, p. 801, of the Laws of 1886, entitled “An act in relation to certain actions against municipal corporations,” provides: “No action against the mayor, aldermen or commonalty of any city * * * shall be maintained, unless the same shall be commenced within one year, * * * nor unless notice * * * shall have been filed,” etc. Here, then, is a statutory provision that no action shall be maintained unless notice shall have been filed. It was held that this notice was a condition precedent. Mertz v. City of Brooklyn (Sup.) 11 N. Y. Supp. 778 , affirmed 128 N. Y. 617 , 28 N. E. 253 ..

The judgment should be affirmed, with costs. .All concur.