Paliotto v. Town of Islip

31 Misc. 2d 447, 224 N.Y.S.2d 466, 1962 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4073
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 8, 1962
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 31 Misc. 2d 447 (Paliotto v. Town of Islip) 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
Paliotto v. Town of Islip, 31 Misc. 2d 447, 224 N.Y.S.2d 466, 1962 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4073 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1962).

Opinion

Anthony M. Livoti, J.

This is an action against nine known defendants and three unknown defendants setting up three causes of action as follows:

1. The first cause of action is predicated upon section 51 of the General Municipal Law to obtain an injunction against the defendants Town Board of the Town of Islip and the individual defendants as members of the Town Board and the Town of Islip, enjoining them from taking any action whatsoever to consider and adopt any change of zone from 1‘ business or business 1 districts to business 1 district ” to the Revised Zoning Ordinance of the Town of Islip affecting property of the plaintiff and other taxpayers in accordance with a purported notice dated November 6, 1961, which the plaintiff requests to be adjudged and decreed as void and of no effect.

2. The second cause of action is for a declaratory judgment declaring whether the plaintiff’s property described in paragraph 6 of the complaint is zoned in “ business ” or in “ business 1 district ” as promulgated by the Revised Zoning Ordinance of the Town of Islip, pursuant to section 473 of the Civil Practice Act.

3. The third cause of action is for damages resulting from a conspiracy participated in and by all of the defendants or one or more of them, in a concerted scheme and plan, all to the damage of the plaintiff in the sum of $100,000.

Plaintiff moved for an injunction pendente lite to enjoin and restrain the defendants Town of Islip, Town Board of the Town of Islip and the individual defendants, as. members of the Town Board of the Town of Islip, pending the determination of this action, from taking any action whatsoever to consider and adopt the proposed zoning amendment to the Revised Zoning Ordinance of the Town of Islip, in accordance with and as described in defendants’ ambiguous and indefinite notice dated November 6,1961, which renders such notice void in violation of the statu[449]*449tory requirements of sections 264 and/or 265 of the Town Law. Said notice is contained in paragraph 5 of the complaint, which states in part: “on the recommendation of islip town board for the following change of zone from Business or Business 1 District * * * to Business 1 District”.

Plaintiff is a taxpayer in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, assessed upon the assessment roll of said town for an amount in excess of $1,000, and has been assessed and has paid taxes upon an assessment in excess of $1,000 within one year previous to the commencement of this action; thus plaintiff qualifies to commence the instant action pursuant to section 51 of the General Municipal Law. Defendants are the Town of Islip, members of its Town Board, the Town Clerk, the Chief Building and Zoning Inspector of the town and three unknown defendants.

It has been long settled in this State that before an injunction pendente lite may be granted, the court should be satisfied, first, that the plaintiff’s right to the ultimate relief requested is not in doubt, and second, that the irreparable damage which he claims will result from its denial outweighs the damage which may result to the party whose actions are sought to be restrained.

In the light of this motion for an injunction pendente lite the court is given power to determine the sufficiency of the complaint, even without a formal cross motion. (Challenger v. Household Finance Corp., 179 Misc. 966, affd. 266 App. Div. 844; Leonard v. John Hancock Mut. Life Ins. Co., 118 N. Y. S. 2d 170, affd. 281 App. Div. 859.)

The complaint alleges three causes of action. The first is set forth in the allegations numbered 1 through 12; the second in paragraphs numbered 13 through 41; and the third in paragraphs numbered 42 through 45. Paragraph 13 of the second cause of action realleges as part thereof paragraphs 1 through 12 of the first cause of action, and paragraph 42 of the third cause of action realleges, as a part thereof, paragraphs 1 through 12 of the first cause of action and paragraphs 14 through 41 of the second cause of action.

Formal allegations aside, which are based upon section 51 of the General Municipal Law, the complaint contains the following facts as to the first cause of action:

By a published notice dated November 6, 1961, which defendant Town Board caused to be printed, it is stated in part: “ notice is hereby given that the Town Board of the Town of Islip will hold a public hearing on November 30, 1961 * * * on the recommendation of islip town board for the following change of zone from Business or Business 1 District # * * to Business 1 District ”.

[450]*450The plaintiff herein, owner of part of property sought to be rezoned by defendants, challenges the validity of the publication by the defendants of the purported notice of hearing, upon the ground that said notice is ambiguous, indefinite and renders such notice void in violation of the statutory requirements of sections 264 and/or 265 of the Town Law and such action by defendant Town Board would constitute an illegal official act and that no hearing was ever had by the Planning Board of the Town of Islip prior to the purported public hearing by the Town Board, as adopted by defendants pursuant to section 274 of the Town Law.

In paragraph 8 of his complaint plaintiff alleges “ That not only would such illegal official action by defendant Town Board be in violation of the Town Law * * * but it would be highly injurious to the public interest and would impose unjust burdens upon the plaintiff and other taxpayers whose properties will be affected by the adoption of the proposed illegal amendment ”.

In paragraph 9 plaintiff alleges “ That any action by the defendant Town Board to adopt the proposed amendment * * * pursuant to said notice of hearing would constitute an illegal official act * * * and any such illegal official act would imperil public interest and property rights of the plaintiff and other taxpayers who would suffer irreparable injury and would impose unjust burdens upon the plaintiff and other taxpayers and should be permanently enjoined and restrained.77

In paragraph 10 plaintiff alleges “ That the matter of adoption of the proposed ambiguous amendment * * * is scheduled to be heard and considered by the defendant Town Board on November 30,1961 * * * that the said defendants might at any time thereafter adopt the proposed ambiguous amendment which action would result in immediate and irreparable injury to the plaintiff and other taxpayers, unless the defendants are enjoined from performing the acts complained of and threatened, during the pendency of this action.7 7

In considering and in passing upon the legal sufficiency of this complaint this court is required to follow the well-established and fundamental rule of law that an application of this character must be accepted as true in all the relevant allegations and the reasonable inferences that may be drawn therefrom. (Schwartz v. Heffernan, 304 N. Y. 474.) Thus, the only basic issue presented for determination is whether the defendants Town of Islip and Town Board have the power, under the existing law, to do the threatened acts sought to be enjoined and restrained.

[451]

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

Related

Gernatt Asphalt Products, Inc. v. Town of Sardinia
208 A.D.2d 139 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1995)
Vizzi v. Town of Islip
71 Misc. 2d 483 (New York Supreme Court, 1972)
Shapiro v. City of New York
67 Misc. 2d 1021 (New York Supreme Court, 1971)
110 Manno Realty Corp. v. Town of Huntington
61 Misc. 2d 702 (New York Supreme Court, 1970)
Oleshko v. New York State Liquor Authority
29 A.D.2d 84 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1967)
Udell v. McFadyen
46 Misc. 2d 804 (New York Supreme Court, 1965)
Paliotto v. Town of Islip
22 A.D.2d 930 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1964)
Levine v. Town of Oyster Bay
46 Misc. 2d 106 (New York Supreme Court, 1964)
Walton v. Town of Brookhaven
41 Misc. 2d 798 (New York Supreme Court, 1964)
Paliotto v. Town of Islip
36 Misc. 2d 161 (New York Supreme Court, 1962)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
31 Misc. 2d 447, 224 N.Y.S.2d 466, 1962 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4073, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paliotto-v-town-of-islip-nysupct-1962.