Goldstein v. State

168 Misc. 337, 5 N.Y.S.2d 916, 1938 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1756
CourtNew York Court of Claims
DecidedJuly 1, 1938
DocketClaim No. 24726
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 168 Misc. 337 (Goldstein v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Goldstein v. State, 168 Misc. 337, 5 N.Y.S.2d 916, 1938 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1756 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1938).

Opinions

Gibbs, J.

This claim was filed to recover $50,215 for the death of claimants’ intestate, August 9, 1936, alleged to have been caused by reason of the negligence of the State, its officers, agents or employees.

Jack Goldstein, the deceased, was twenty-eight years of age, unmarried and lived with his parents, four brothers and sisters, in the County of Bronx, New York. At the time of his death he was, and had been for five years prior to that, a member of the 105th Field Artillery, National Guard of New York State.

[338]*338On August 9, 1936, by order of his superior officers, he was directed to proceed from the Armory in the Bronx, to Pine Camp at Watertown, New York, by a designated military truck, No. 105-F.A.-12, which was owned by the Federal Government and under the control of and operated by said 105th Field Artillery of New York State. This was a part of a convoy of about forty trucks. Ten members of said National Guard were assigned to each truck, a chauffeur, a corporal, and eight men. Jack Goldstein was one of the eight men in the rear of the truck. The chauffeur, Seymour Thai, and corporal Stark were in the driver’s seat.

The accident occurred at Catskill, New York, about 1:30 p. m. by reason of the said truck’s striking the iron superstructure of a bridge, which precipitated it down an embankment of twenty-two feet onto a railroad track, demolishing the truck and causing injuries to claimants’ intestate from which he died that night.

At the opening of the trial, the State moved to dismiss the claim on two grounds:

First — that the claim as served being for more than five hundred dollars, was typewritten instead of printed, in violation of the rules of the Court; and

Second — that the claim does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action; that there were only two remedies open to claimant and which were exclusive.

(a) Under the Military Law of the State.

(b) Under the Workmen’s Compensation Law.

Decision on this motion was reserved at that time; at the close of the claimants’ case the motion was renewed and decision reserved. Disposition of this motion must now be made prior to the consideration of the claim on the merits.

The printing of claims above five hundred dollars is required by rule eleven of the Court of Claims Act; this rule was established for the convenience of the court and other State officers and employees upon whom devolves the duty of the investigation and disposition of the claims.

The rules of the Court are procedural and not jurisdictional and may be, and at times are, waived, when sufficient reasons appear for such action.

In the present action, the claim was subsequently printed and by nunc pro tunc order filed and served in the place of those which were typewritten.

In all previous claims which have been brought to our attention, in which the claimant was a member of a State military organization, or National Guard, the claimant had a special act of the Legislature, commonly called an Enabling Act, permitting the [339]*339filing of the claim, which fact vitally distinguishes those cases from the instant claim, in which there is no Enabling Act. (Lewis v. State [1921], 197 App. Div. 712; affd., 234 N. Y. 587; Schmohl v. State [1931], 141 Misc. 274, 275; Dicicco v. State [1934], 152 id. 541; Spence v. State [1936], 159 id. 797).

In the Lewis Case (supra), recovery was denied because of contributory negligence of claimant, and that his acts were outside the provisions of the Enabling Act. The Court, however, stated: “ If the claimant had been injured in this case while performing a military duty, and without any fault on his part, very probably the case would fall under section 220 of the Military Law, which gives a pension.”

In discussing the Schmohl Case (supra), the court said: “ The so-called remedy under the Military Law (§§ 220, 223) is nowise exclusive. In this respect it differs from the Workmen’s Compensation Law. Chapter 615 of the Laws of 1922, as amended (§ 11), makes the remedy therein exclusive. (See Shanahan v. Monarch Engineering Co., 219 N. Y. 469.)

In the case at bar two remedies are provided, to wit, sections 220 and 223 of the Military Law and chapter 818 of the Laws of 1930. (The Enabling Act.)

“ The claimant has elected to pursue the latter remedy, which he has a right to do, as the Legislature has given him this right by the passage of chapter 818 of the Laws of 1930.”

The claim at bar, as presented by both sides, rests entirely upon the theory that claimants’ intestate was an employee of the State of New York. (Dicicco and Spence Cases, supra.) These two cases also reaffirm the Schmohl and Lewis decisions.

In each of the above cases, the claimant chose to present his claim under the Enabling Act, secured for that particular purpose, disregarding by that choice any other remedy under any other law which he may have had. The case of Schwartz v. State, 277 N. Y. 567, was a claim filed in the Court of Claims by the Administrator of a canal employee of the State of New York, without an Enabling Act; the Court of Claims made an award (161 Misc. 751); which was reversed (251 App. Div. 634); and the Appellate Division was affirmed by the Court of Appeals — Bliss, J., stated (251 App. Div. p. 636):

“ All employees of the State are brought within the provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Law by group 16 of subdivision 1 of section 3 of that law.” Said group 16 reads as follows:

“ Any employment by the state, notwithstanding the definitions of the terms employment,’ ‘ employer ’ or ‘ employee ’ in subdivisions three, four and five of section two of this chapter,” shall receive compensation for injuries or death.

[340]*340These sections are all inclusive, and in the absence of a special act by the Legislature, compel a member of the State National Guard to seek his remedy under the Military Law or the Workmen’s Compensation Law, for any injury received in the line of duty in the military service of the State.

Counsel for claimants argues that section 12-a, supplemented by section 15, of the Court of Claims Act amounts in substance to a special or enabling act sufficient to give the Court of Claims jurisdiction of the instant action in the event that an enabling act should be deemed to be necessary; we are not in agreement with that interpretation of these acts.

In 1929 the Legislature added section 12-a to the Court of Claims Act, thereby widening the jurisdiction of the Court of Claims:

The state hereby waives its immunity from liability for the torts of its officers and employees and consents to have its liability for such torts determined in accordance with the same rules of law as apply to an action in the supreme court against an individual or a corporation, and the state hereby assumes liability for such acts, and jurisdiction is hereby conferred upon the court of claims to hear and determine all claims against the state to recover damages for injuries to property or for personal injury caused by the misfeasance or negligence of the officers or employees of the state while acting as such officer or employee.

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Related

Goldstein v. State
175 Misc. 114 (New York State Court of Claims, 1940)

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Bluebook (online)
168 Misc. 337, 5 N.Y.S.2d 916, 1938 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1756, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/goldstein-v-state-nyclaimsct-1938.