McMenomy v. Baud

26 P. 795, 87 Cal. 134, 1890 Cal. LEXIS 1108
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 15, 1890
DocketNo. 12759
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 26 P. 795 (McMenomy v. Baud) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McMenomy v. Baud, 26 P. 795, 87 Cal. 134, 1890 Cal. LEXIS 1108 (Cal. 1890).

Opinion

The Court.

The plaintiff and defendant are coterminous owners of lots of 27-¡- feet front on Fulton Street, in San Francisco, and running back 120 feet, to Ash [135]*135Avenue. Each, with his family, resided on his lot, there being an open space of only five to six inches between their houses. The defendant operated a small brass-foundry on the first or ground floor of his house, with machinery incidental thereto, propelled by a small steam-engine having a cylinder of six inches diameter and seven inches stroke. The principal machinery consisted of turning-lathes for turning and polishing brass. The objects of this suit are to enjoin the operating and use of the foundry and machinery, on the ground that they are a nuisance to plaintiff, and to recover two thousand dollars damages. The allegations of the complaint in regard to the nuisance are as follows: —

u 3. That defendant has erected and maintained on his said premises, and used and operated for the two years last past, in the same place, and in close proximity to the above-described premises of plaintiff, a steam-engine and boiler, and lathe, and the machinery of a brass-foundry, and still maintains, uses, and operates the same, and threatens to continue to do the same; that he has operated and used, and operates and uses, and threatens to operate and use, the same, in such a manner as to disturb and annoy this plaintiff and this plaintiff’s family, and to endanger the safety and health of this plaintiff and this plaintiff’s family, and to offend the senses of this plaintiff and his family.
“ 4. That the presence and proximity of said machinery, and its operation and use by defendant, has greatly injured and damaged plaintiff, in this: that defendant has used said machinery, and operated the same, for the last two years, continuously, night and day, and on Sundays, and at all times, and still so uses, and threatens to and will so use it; unless restrained by this court; that said machinery constantly produces intolerable noise, which deprives plaintiff and his family of all rest and enjoyment, and has produced such effect for two years last past, and has rendered the life of this plaintiff and [136]*136that of his family miserable; that by the jarring thereof said building of plaintiff has been shaken and unsettled, ánd the walls and plaster thereof broken and cracked; that defendant has employed, and still employs, and threatens to emplojr, unskilled employees in and about said machinery, and thereby has endangered, and will endanger, the safety of tisis plaintiff and this plaintiff’s famity, and thereby keeps them in peril of their lives, and will so keep them; that thereby the value of this plaintiff’s said property has been and is become greatly impaired in value, and this plaintiff is and will be unable to rent the same, and will be compelled to abandon the same, unless defendant be restrained from operating the same machinery.”

The answer denies that the operating of the foundry and machinery is or ever was a nuisance; and denies all averments tending to prove the nuisance.

As to the alleged nuisance and damage, the court found the following facts: —

“That during all said times he, said defendant, used, operated, and maintained the same said foundry, and machinery, engine, and boiler, in such a manner as to disturb and annoy the plaintiff and his famity, and to endanger the safety and health, and to offend the senses, of the plaintiff and his family.
“4. That the presence and proximity of said machinery, and its operation and use by defendant, as aforesaid, greatly injured and damaged plaintiff and his property; that the defendant, during all of said two years next before the commencement of this action, used and operated said engine, boiler, and machinery at unusual and unseasonable hours, night and day, and on Sundays, and that such use and operations caused intolerable noise, produced offensive fumes, smells, smoke, and soot, which extended to and within the said premises of plaintiff; that by the jarring caused by the operation of said machinery and engines, the said building of plain[137]*137tiff was continuously shaken and unsettled, the walls and plastering therein broken and cracked, and said house rendered unsafe as a dwelling, and thereby greatly endangered the lives and safety of the plaintiff and his family; that on account of all thereof, the said properly of plaintiff has been greatly impaired and depreciated in value, and the life and existence of plaintiff and his family rendered uncomfortable and miserable, and their health impaired.
“5. That by reason of the premises, plaintiff has been damaged in the sum of two thousand dollars.
“6. That the maintenance of said foundry, and the use and operation of said engine, boiler, and machinery, is, and during all of said times has been, a nuisance on said premises of defendant, and to said plaintiff and his family, upon plaintiff’s said premises.
“7. That the said location of said foundry is in a residence portion of the said city of San Francisco, and is an unsuitable place for the location of such works.”

As a condition of denying defendant’s motion for new trial, the damages were reduced to twelve hundred dollars.

The judgment perpetually enjoins the defendant “from, erecting, maintaining, having, keeping, or operating on said premises of defendant, described in the pleadings and records herein, said brass-foundry and machine-shop, boiler and engine, or any foundry or machine-shop, boiler or engine, causing noises, smoke, or other effluvium, injurious to health, offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of plaintiff’s property described herein.” And further orders and decrees that a permanent injunction issue to defendant and his servants and employees, “ requiring him and them, and each of them, to perpetually refrain from having, maintaining, operating, or continuing the use of said brass-foundry and machine-shop, boiler and engine, or either thereof, on the said premises of defendant, and requir[138]*138ing him and them, and each of them, to perpetually refrain from having, erecting, maintaining, or operating an)' brass-foundry, or foundry or machine-shop, boiler or engine, thereon, causing noises, smoke, or other effluvium, injurious to health, offensive to the senses, or an obstruction to the free use of plaintiff’s property described herein, and that said nuisance now maintained on said premises of defendant be abated.”

The defendant has appealed from the judgment, and from an order denying his motion for a new trial; and his counsel here contend that the evidence is insufficient to justify the findings, and that the findings do not support the judgment.

1. As to the effect of the running of the foundry and machinery upon the plaintiff and his family and his property, the evidence is extremely conflicting. On the part of thq plaintiff it tends to prove that the defendant operated the foundry and machinery in such a manner as to offend the senses of the plaintiff and his family, and to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of their residence. To this extent, the findings are justified by the evidence, notwithstanding the conflict, and entitle the plaintiff to an adequate remedy by injunction. But so far as the findings exceed this, we think they are not justified by the evidence.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
26 P. 795, 87 Cal. 134, 1890 Cal. LEXIS 1108, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcmenomy-v-baud-cal-1890.