City of Lewiston v. Isaman

115 P. 494, 19 Idaho 653, 1911 Ida. LEXIS 52
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedApril 14, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 115 P. 494 (City of Lewiston v. Isaman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Lewiston v. Isaman, 115 P. 494, 19 Idaho 653, 1911 Ida. LEXIS 52 (Idaho 1911).

Opinion

SULLIVAN, J.

This action was brought by the city of Lewiston against Isaman, the defendant and appellant, to recover the sum of $17,944.20 with interest thereon, and is based upon a judgment obtained by Miriam W. McLean and. her husband against the city in the sum of $12,000 because of personal injuries received by reason of defective doors placed in the sidewalk in front of said Isaman’s business building in the city of Lewiston. The said case of McLean v. The City of Lewiston was decided by this court on appeal June 5, 1902, -and is reported in the 8th Idaho at page 473, 69 Pac. 478, to which reference is made as explanatory, to some extent, of the facts in issue in this case. The city of Lewiston paid the judgment in that case and brought this action to recover the amount so paid from this defendant.

The defendant in his answer admits some of the allegations of the complaint and denies others; denies that he was maintaining any business on lots 11 and 12, block 29, in the [659]*659city of Lewiston, those being the lots on which the sidewalk was situated where Mrs. McLean received her injuries; admits that he owned said lots and avers that with the knowledge, consent and acquiescence of the city, he built over the cellar-way where said doors were placed, in the sidewalk, two strong, durable and safe cellar doors, and fastened the same with strong, durable hinges, and had thereunder good and sufficient support, and that the same were safe for pedestrians to walk upon; avers that on January 1, 1900, he leased said premises on said lots so that said tenants had the right to the exclusive use, possession and control of said building on said lots, cellarivay and doors and of all parts thereof, from January 1, 1900, to January 1, 1901, embracing and including the time of the alleged accident to Mrs. McLean, which occurred February 13, 1900; that said cellar-way under said sidewalk and said doors thereon were leased to one Fountain and by the terms of his lease he had the right to the exclusive use, occupation and control of all parts of said property, and that it was his duty to keep the same and every part thereof in good, sound, safe and suitable condition and repair, and that defendant was not required to keep the same in condition and repair from the said January 1st, 1900, until long subsequent to the date of said accident; that at the time of leasing said property to Fountain, the doors in question were in good repair. He also averred that he was refused by the duly authorized attorneys of the city, in the case of McLean v. City of Lewiston, the right to defend or appear therein, on two specific grounds, to wit:

“ (a) That the theory of the defense of said action held by said attorney employed by this defendant, S. G. Isaman, might be different from and conflict with the theory of said defense held by said R. E. McFarland and said S. L. McFarland;
“ (b) That this defendant, S. G. Isaman, was in no way interested in said suit and was probably not liable.”

The answer alleges that defendant resided continuously from several months prior to January 1, 1900, until several months subsequent to the 13th of February, 1900, about four [660]*660miles from the city of Lewiston and had no notice or knowledge of any defective condition of said doors; also plead the statute of limitations.

Upon the issues thus made the case was tried by the court without a jury and findings' of fact made and judgment entered in favor of the city, for the sum of $8,700 with interest and costs. An appeal was taken from the judgment and also from the order denying a new trial. The two appeals were consolidated and are presented as one.

Some of the facts were stipulated and oral and documentary evidence was introduced on the trial.

The record shows that the defendant owned the lots abutting on the sidewalk and street under which sidewalk the area-way was excavated and over which in the sidewalk the doors referred to were placed. Said doors and area-way were used for taking fuel and other material into the cellar under said buildings; that said area-way was excavated and doors placed thereon about November, 1899, about three months prior to the McLean accident; that said entire building and cellar had been rented by the defendant, the greater portion of the cellar and area-way and the second and third stories of said building to a man by the name of Fountain, and one of the rooms on the first floor to a baker and the other to a cigar-maker. Under the lease to Fountain he was to furnish heat for the entire.building from the heating apparatus in said cellar. The furnace or heater in said cellar was for that purpose. Said area-way was about three feet in width, six feet in length and seven feet in depth, and was under said sidewalk and connected with the basement or cellar. The doors thereon extended partly across the sidewalk from the outer edge thereof to within about eighteen inches or two feet of the inner side of the walk and building, and were about eighteen inches wide and made of plank, were hung to the sidewalk with strap hinges about eight inches long and three inches wide, with two hinges on each door, and a chain so attached as to keep the doors from falling flat on the sidewalk when opened. The sidewalk, at that time, was constructed of plank.

[661]*661A few days before tbe happening of the accident, it appears that Fountain broke one or both of the hinges on one of the doors and did not repair them nor report the fact of their being broken to Isaman. Isaman lived in the country about, 'four miles from the city.

On the 9th of February, 1900, the city council passed what, is known as ordinance No. 266, and commonly known as the sidewalk ordinance. Sec. 63 of that ordinance is as follows:

“Openings in sidewalks for receiving and discharging fuel and merchandise shall not extend more than half the width across the sidewalk. They shall be covered with two trap doors which, when open, shall have a bar across at each end to prevent persons falling in. The doors while open must not be left without a covering of wood or metal being placed over them if it becomes necessary for the person in charge to leave the opening for more than ten minutes.”

On about that date, Mr. Tannahill, who was a councilman of said city and street commissioner, accompanied by the marshal, went about the city examining the doors in the sidewalks. It appears that he saw said doors on that day and spoke to Mr. Isaman about the ordinance. Tannahill testified as follows: “I can’t say that I did call his (Isaman’s) attention to the condition of the doors at that time. I think more particularly what I called his attention to was the ordinance and also the doors — I was examining the doors at the same time.....Now, I don’t think I made any complaint to Isaman about these doors, because I hadn’t any to make. I simply called his attention to this ordinance. ’ ’

It would appear from that evidence that said doors were not in a dangerous condition at the time said conversation took place, which was only a few days before the accident occurred. The record shows that said ordinance No. 266 was passed on the 9th of February and the accident occurred on the 13th of the same month. The accident no doubt occurred because of Fountain’s having broken the hinges on one of said doors which caused the door to slip from its support and fall in when Mrs. McLean stepped on it. It will be observed that only four days intervened between the passage.[662]

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Bluebook (online)
115 P. 494, 19 Idaho 653, 1911 Ida. LEXIS 52, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-lewiston-v-isaman-idaho-1911.