Brown v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co.

24 Abb. N. Cas. 160
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 15, 1890
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 24 Abb. N. Cas. 160 (Brown v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co., 24 Abb. N. Cas. 160 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1890).

Opinion

O’ Bribe, J.

This action was brought to recover from the defendant the proceeds of certain securities pledged by an executor of the deceased with the defendant. The complaint prayed for equitable relief.

The trial of the action resulted in a judgment in favor of the plaintiff against the defendant for $21,508.58. On defendant’s appeal this judgment was reversed and a new trial ordered, with costs to abide the event, from which judgment of reversal plaintiff appealed to the court of appeals upon the usual stipulation.

The court of appeals have affirmed the judgment of the General Term, with costs ; the defendant now moves for an extra allowance in addition to the taxable costs.

[161]*161Upon succeeding at Special Term the plaintiff was awarded an extra allowance, and it is conceded that the case was a difficult and extraordinary one, in which an allowance should properly be granted. Several objections have been raised to the granting of this motion which may be briefly noticed.

The First is that the plaintiff, who is an administrator, has no assets in his hands out of which an allowance could be paid.

While this might prevent the defendant from obtaining the benefits of an allowance, it is no reason for withholding the granting of one.

Second. The position that an allowance cannot be granted after an order has been entered upon a remittitur is equally untenable under the authority of Parrott v. Sawyer (26 Hun, 467).

Third. The most serious objection is that, as the party has not been awarded costs, he cannot receive an allowance ; or, in other words, to entitle the party to an allowance, he must be entitled to costs.

This application, however, is for both costs and an allowance, and if the court has power to grant the former, it has equal jurisdiction to award the latter.

My attention has been called to the case of Eldridge v. Strenz (39 Super. Ct. [J. & S.,] 295),which in effect decided that if the court before whom the final determination is had does not direct an allowance in its judgment, there is no authority elsewhere to adjudge it. This decision has been expressly overruled by the general term of this court in the case of Parrott v. Sawyer (supra) and also in the case of Helk v. Reinheimer (14 State Rep. 465). The contrary is, however, held in the case of People v. L. E. & Western R. R. Co. (14 State Rep. 169).

I am inclined to the view that, as" the defendant was-beaten in the trial court, he had no occasion or opportunity to ask for costs, and, as stated in Helk v, Reinheimer, we think he ought not to be deprived of that opportunity.”

[162]*162This being an equitable action, the application should more properly be made to the judge who tried the- case. But upon the fact appearing that he is uo longer a member of the court, the application was properly made to the special term at chambers.

Having concluded, therefore, principally- upon the reasoning of the opinion in Helk v. Beinheimer (supra), that the defendant is not barred from making this application for costs, which in the exercise of a sound discretion upon the character of the action should be awarded, his right to an allowance in addition would naturally follow.

I am of the opinion, therefore, that the motion should be granted allowing the defendant to tax his costs upon the trial, and in addition should be awarded an extra allowance of $500.

Ordered accordingly.

Note Collating Authorities on the Power of the Court below AFTER AN ACTUAL DETERMINATION BY THE APPELLATE COURT.

I. Oases on the general rule.

1. Huttemeier v. Albro, 2 Bosw. 546,555; affirmed 18 N. Y. 48.

Plaintiff brought an action to compel the defendant to remove a shed and other obstructions, erected by the defendant, and running along the rear of plaintiff’s lot. Judgment was rendered for plaintiff, but on appeal to the court of appeals the facts proven were not deemed sufficient to entitle plaintiff to judgment, and a new trial was ordered. Certain principles were enunciated by the court, with a view to guiding the further proceedings, although such principles were not called in question by the appeal.—Sold, that the court below should be governed by principles enunciated by a member of the court of appeals on announcing the decision of that court ordering a new trial—although such principles may not have been drawn in question by the appeal—if they were stated with a view to guiding the further proceedings.

2. Green v. Clark, 13 Barb. 57; affirmed 12 N. Y. 343.

After a verdict had been rendered for plaintiff, a new trial was granted, and the decision was affirmed by the court of appeals, that court deciding upon the merits, that the plaintiff was not entitled to recover. It did not appear that either of the judges who assigned reasons for the affirmance, dissented from the grounds on which the court [163]*163below had placed their judgment, although some of them assigned other reasons for the affirmance.—Held, that the judgment of affirmance should be held an affirmance, not only of the judgment, but of the precise proposition decided by the court below, and that that proposition must, in subsequent proceedings, be deemed the law of the case.

3. Mead v. Mead, 18 Barb. 578.

Appeal from decision of surrogate admitting a will to probate. The surrogate on a former trial admitted a will to probate, and the supreme court reversed the decision on appéal, on the ground that the evidence before him was insufficient to prove its valid execution by the testator .—Held, that the reversal, on appeal, of the determination of a ■question within the jurisdiction of the court below, as an original question there, where the reversal is merely on the ground that the evidence was insufficient, leaves the cause standing before the court below as if there had been no hearing, and the court may proceed to second trial.

4. N. Y. & New Haven R. R. Co. v. Schuyler, 8 Abb. Pr. 239.

Plaintiff, whose agents had issued spurious stock, brought an action against the holders of such stock, seeking to have the same declared void. A demurrer presenting several objections-to the complaint, was sustained by the supreme court and their judgment was reversed by the court of appeals.—Held, that although the opinion of the court of appeals discussed only one of the grounds of demurrer, they must be deemed to have overruled all of the objections to the complaint.

5. Matter of the Graduates, 11 Abb. Pr. 301, 337.

After the supreme court had refused application for admission as attorneys, the clerk of the court, without any order to do so, made a return to the court of appeals, of the orders and proceedings in the matter of these applications, and that court, without notice to the attorney general, or any other person, reversed the order, and directed the court to admit the applicants.—Held, that the court below, while protesting against this course, would yield to the decision, and admit the applicants.

6. Griswold v. Haven, 16 Abb. Pr. 413.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
24 Abb. N. Cas. 160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-farmers-loan-trust-co-nysupct-1890.