Heenan v. New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railway Co.

1 How. Pr. (n.s.) 53
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedDecember 15, 1884
StatusPublished

This text of 1 How. Pr. (n.s.) 53 (Heenan v. New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Heenan v. New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railway Co., 1 How. Pr. (n.s.) 53 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1884).

Opinion

Nott, Gounty Judge.

— This is an action to recover damages for injury to personal property caused by defendant’s negligence in operating its railroad through the village of West Troy, in this county. The case was tried and submitted to the jury, which rendered a verdict for the plaintiff. The defendant now moves for a new trial, and that the complaint herein be [54]*54dismissed. Two questions are presented for the consideration of the court, first, whether this court has such jurisdiction as to entertain the action; and second, if it has not, has the defendant waived, or is it concluded from raising the point. The complaint alleges that the defendant is a domestic corporation under our laws, and is engaged in the business of carrying freight and passengers for hire in various parts of the state, including the county of Albany, and that a part of its line of road is located in this county. The answer of the defendant admits that it is a domestic corporation, and avers that its principal place of business is and was at and long before the commencement of this action established by its articles of association and actually located in the city of New York ; that its principal place of business never was established or located in the county of Albany, and that the summons was served upon defendant in the city of New York. It also puts in issue the various allegations in the complaint. On the trial it was established that the defendant, being a railroad corporation, operated its road through various counties of this state, including Albany county, and that by the articles of association, and in fact, its principal place of business is and was located in the city of New York, and that the summons herein was served upon one of the officers of the defendant in the city of New York.

Corporations created under the laws of this state are residents of the state, and an examination of the adjudications of our courts will show that their residence may be localized into one county or exist in many counties at the same time. For the purpose of ascertaining the place of venue in the supreme court against a railroad company, any county in which it operates its road may be regarded as its residence (Pond agt. H. R. R. Co., 17 How., 543). So with reference to an action in the justices’ court (Belden agt. The N. Y. & H. R. R. R. Co., 15 How., 17; Sherwood agt. The S. & W. R. R. Co., 15 Barb., 650). So with regard to highway labor (The People agt. H. R. R. R. Co., 31 Barb., 138).. So for the purposes [55]*55of taxation (The People agt. Fredericks, 48 Barb., 173 ; 48 N. Y., 70). If there was no special provision in regard to the county court, these authorities would control us and we should hold the action could he maintained against the defendant in this county.

The Code of Oivil Procedure provides that for the purpose of determining the jurisdiction of the county court, a domestic corporation or joint-stock association whose principal place of business is established by or pursuant to a statute, or by its articles of association, or is actually located within the county, is deemed a resident of the county, and personal service of a summons made within the county as prescribed by the Code is sufficient (Sec. 341). Our jurisdiction, therefore, by this provision, in the case of a domestic corporation, depends first upon the location within our county of its principal place of business, whether by force of a special statute or its articles of association, or its actual location; and secondly, personal service of the summons within the county upon one of those of its officers who may be served under the Code of Civil Procedure with a summons in an action against it.

The provisions of the constitution in reference to the county court (art. 6, sec. 15) are broad enough to permit the legislature to confer this power Upon the county court in the cases of corporations doing business in the county, and that it is so is eminently proper to cover cases where large business enterprises are carried on within the county, and some of its chief officers are within the county directing its important offices, although the principal office may be located in another county (Gemp agt. Pratt, 7 Daly, 197, distinquishinq Landers agt. The S. I. R. R. Co., 53 N. Y., 450).

Here the principal place of business of the defendant, by its articles of association, and in fact, is located-within New York county, and the summons was not served in this county. The conclusion reached is that this court has not jurisdiction over the defendant.

This brings us to the consideration of the second question: [56]*56Has the defendant waived, or is it concluded from raising the objection? The plaintifi insists that the defendant having answered and appeared generally in the action, although by its answer it raised the issue of its residence, it cannot now say that it is a non-resident of the county, as the court could acquire jurisdiction of the defendant by the service of the summons upon a proper officer of the company within the county, which could not be done in the case of an individual.

I am of opinion that the allegations of the complaint as to residence were sufficient, and as the defect of which the defendant complains did not appear on the face of the complaint, he could not demur (Code, see. 488). The objection to the jurisdiction was therefore properly taken, by answer (Code, sec. 498 ; Holbrook agt. Baker, 16 Hun, 176; Mayhew agt. Robinson, 10 How., 162-165), and was not waived by appearance in the action and an answer therein setting up the objection (Sullivan agt. Frazer, 4 Robt., 620 ; Wheeloch agt. Lee, 74 N. Y., 497, 498).

In opposition to the rule at common-law, under the Code, a defendant may plead as many defenses as he has, whether, as formerly denominated, to the jurisdiction in abatement or in bar (Code, sec. 507 ; Sweet agt. Tuttle, 16 N. Y., 465). It follows, therefore, that the general appearance of the defendant, distinctly by its pleading giving notice of its intention to raise the question of jurisdiction, is no waiver, nor does it conclude the defendant from insisting on the want of jurisdiction of this court (Landers agt. The S. I. R. R. Co., 53 N. Y., 450; Davidsburgh agt. The K. L. Ins. Co., 90 N. Y., 526). The cases cited by the plaintiffs counsel (Paulding agt. Hudson Man. Co., 2 E. D. Smith, 38; Ballard agt. Burrows, 2 Robt., 206; Olcott agt. McLean, 73 N. Y., 223) do not apply to this case.

An order must be entered granting the motion of the-defendant and awarding a new trial; and the complaint should be dismissed.

[57]*57Note.— The principal case holds that the county court has jurisdiction in actions against domestic corporations:

First. In the county where the principal office is located.

Second. In the county where the summons is served, although the principal office be located elsewhere, if its business is transacted in whole or in part in the county.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1 How. Pr. (n.s.) 53, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/heenan-v-new-york-west-shore-buffalo-railway-co-nycountyct-1884.