Ott v. Schroeppel

7 Barb. 431
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 7, 1849
StatusPublished

This text of 7 Barb. 431 (Ott v. Schroeppel) 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
Ott v. Schroeppel, 7 Barb. 431 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1849).

Opinion

By the Court, Gridley, J.

This cause comes before us at this time upon a case subject to the opinion of the court. It has been before the court on two former occasions, upon demurrers ; and we have been obliged to express an opinion upon several of the questions raised on this argument. It may be remarked however, that neither the entire bond of submission; nor the entire award has ever been spread out on the pleadings; and we have been compelled to give a construction to some parts of both as they were presented unconnected with the context, which may be found to differ somewhat from the interpretation demanded by a consideration of the instruments taken as a whole.

The bond of submission set forth in the case is subject to the following condition : “ That if the above bounden H. W. Schroeppel shall well and truly submit to the decision of Orla H. Whitney, Matthew McNair, William Dalloway and John Grant, jun. or either three of them, who shall act, named, elected and chosen arbitrators as well by and on the part and behalf of the said Edward Ott, as of the said Henry W. Schroeppel, between whom a controversy exists, to hear all the proofs and allega-. [439]*439lions of and concerning, First, the amount which has actually-been paid upon a certain contract between the said Schroeppel of the one part and the said Edward Ott and Joseph Ott of the other part, of date March 1st, 1835, and which in justice should be applied thereon; and indorse the amount so found on said contract—and Second, of and concerning also all actions, causes of action, controversies, suits, judgments, debts, dues and demands, and all other matters of whatsoever name and nature now existing,” &c. (“ especially reserving,” &c.) “ and determine and settle and award also, upon said second mentioned matters.” [Here follows a provision that the arbitrators shall be sworn; and then the bond proceeds in these words:] “ so as the award of the said arbitrators be made in writing, subscribed by them or any two of them, and attested by a subscribing witness, ready to be delivered to the said parties on or before the 1st day of February next, then this obligation to be void,” &c. This bond is very awkwardly drawn, and it is by no means an easy task to give it a construction entirely satisfactory. The great question is whether the true interpretation of the instrument required the arbitrators to embrace in their award a determination of the amount that had been paid on the Ott contract up to the date of the bonds of submission, and to indorse such amount on the contract. The difficulty arises upon the point whether the condition to “ submit to the decision of Orla H. Whitney” and the other arbitrators is to be read so as to require the parties to submit to the “ decision” of the said arbitrators of and concerning the amount paid on the Ott contract, and also of and concerning all actions and demands, &c.; or whether it should be read as merely requiring the arbitrators “ to hear all the proofs and allegations” of and concerning, first, the amount paid upon the said contract, and secondly, upon all actions, demands, &c. between the parties. The grammatical construction makes the phrase “of and concerning, &c.” refer to the hearing of the proofs and allegations, as its immediate antecedent. We have heretofore held, and upon an attentive consideration of the entire instrument we are still of the opinion, that the parties intended to bind themselves to submit to the “ decision," (in other [440]*440words the award) of the arbitrators “ of and concerning first, the amount actually paid, &c. and secondly, of and concerning also, all actions,” &c. That both subjects were submitted to be awarded upon, and that the arbitrators were bound to embrace both in their award. Upon any other construction the word “ decision” is without an object, and stands wholly unconnected with the rest of the instrument. There is nothing else to which it can relate. “ Decision” of the arbitrators, we may ask, upon what 1 The answer is obviously “ of and concerning” the subject matter of the submission. And though the awkward and inartificial manner of drawing the bonds has occasioned some difficulty in applying the “ decision” of the arbitrators to the phrase of and concerning, the amount due upon the contract, according to strict grammatical rules; yet the undoubted meaning of the parties was to provide that they should submit to the “ decision” of the arbitrators, “ of and concerning” the subject matter of the submission ; as well as to declare that the arbitrators were named and chosen to hear the proofs and allegations “ of and concerning” the same subjects. This construction is confirmed by the language subsequently employed in another part of the instrument. After reciting the second subject matter of submission, which was general, of all demands, it seems to have occurred to the person who drafted the bond that the intention of the parties had not been clearly expressed: and he therefore adds, “And determine and settle and aivard also upon said second mentioned matters,” clearly implying that the matter first mentioned had already been submitted as a subject of the award. By requiring the arbitrators to award “also” upon the second mentioned matter as well as the first, all doubt is removed in regard to the intentions of the parties that they should award upon both. Again; the bond requires the arbitrators to be sworn “ to make a just award” The inquiry arises upon what were they to be sworn to malee a just award ? Upon one of the matters submitted ? or upon the whole ? Clearly upon the whole. Then follows the “ ita quod” clause—“ so as the aioard of the arbitrators be made,” &c. We may again inquire, what‘was meant by the expression “ the award of the arbitrators” in this [441]*441clause? Undoubtedly, an award upon the whole matters submitted, as well that involving the determination of the amount that had been paid on the Ott contract as that concerning the general demands of the parties.

If I am right in my construction of the bonds of submission, then the award should have determined how much had been paid on the contract of March 1st, 1835, at the date of the submission. This was indispensable to the validity of an award made in pursuance of a submission containing the “ ita quod” clause. This principle was most explicitly laid down in the case of Randall v. Randall, (7 East, 81, 83.) That case bore a strong analogy to the one under consideration; and Lord Ellenborough, in delivering the opinion of the court says, “ The arbitrators had three things submitted to them; one was to determine all actions, &c. between the parties; another was to settle what was paid to the defendant, &c.; the third was to ascertain what rent was to be paid by the plaintiff to the defendant for certain land. The authority given to the arbitrators was conditional, ‘ ita quod,’ they should arbitrate on the matters by a certain day. If then they fail as to one of them, the condition has not been performed upon which the award was to have its obligatory effect; and here they have stopped short and have omitted to settle one of the subjects of difference which was stipulated for.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Jackson ex dem. Van Alen & Van Alen v. Ambler
14 Johns. 96 (New York Supreme Court, 1817)
Emery v. Hitchcock
12 Wend. 156 (New York Supreme Court, 1834)
Fidler v. Cooper
19 Wend. 285 (New York Supreme Court, 1838)
Bloomer v. Sherman
5 Paige Ch. 575 (New York Court of Chancery, 1836)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
7 Barb. 431, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ott-v-schroeppel-nysupct-1849.