People v. Teuscher

129 Misc. 94, 221 N.Y.S. 20, 1927 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 689
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 21, 1927
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 129 Misc. 94 (People v. Teuscher) 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
People v. Teuscher, 129 Misc. 94, 221 N.Y.S. 20, 1927 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 689 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1927).

Opinion

William F. Dowling, J.

The defendant conducts a small farm in the town of Rome, Oneida county, N. Y. During the year 1925, and since that time, he has kept and maintained a herd of twelve cattle on said farm, the income from which constitutes practically all of the revenue derived from said farm.

During the year 1925, and prior to the tenth of November, various owners of herds of cattle of the bovine type, kept for dairy or breeding purposes within the township of Rome, Oneida county,N. Y., applied to the Commissioner of Farms and Markets of the State of New York for examination of their respective herds by the tuberculin test, subject to the regulations prescribed under section 79 of article 5 of the said Farms and Markets Law of 1922 (as amd. by Laws of 1922, chap. 255). Pursuant to such request, prior to November 10, 1925, it is conceded that at least ninety (90) per cent of the herds of cattle, or ninety (90) per cent of the total number of cattle in the said township of Rome, had been duly subjected to the tuberculin test, for the purpose of ridding such herds of whatever animals might be afflicted with the disease known as bovine tuberculosis.” The evidence disclosed that out of two hundred and sixty-nine herds in said township, all but sixteen herds had been so tested, the defendant’s said herd being one of the sixteen. The test disclosed the fact that every herd so tested contained one or more cows suffering from tuberculosis. Notwithstanding the prevalence of said disease, the defendant refused to have or permit his herd to be tested. He did, however, have the herd examined by a veterinarian, who pronounced it to be, in so far as could be determined by a superficial examination, in a healthy condition. Upon his refusal to submit his herd to the tuberculin test, the Commissioner, on the 10th of November, 1925, issued the following quarantine order against the defendant’s herd and premises:

State of New York — Department of Farms and Markets
Berne A. Pyrke, Commissioner
“ QUARANTINE ORDER * * * UNTESTED HERDS
“ To Mr. Chris Teuscher,
“ R. D. 2, Rome, N. Y:
Whereas, at least ninety per centum of the herds of cattle in the Township of Rome, County of Oneida, State of New York, • have been duly subjected to the tuberculin test for the purpose .of ridding such herds of the disease known as tuberculosis; and
•“ Whereas, you are the pwner pf a herd of cattle situate upon [96]*96a farm or premises within the above-named township, to wit: situate in the township of Rome, county of Oneida, and
“ Whereas, you have refused or neglected to have said herd tuberculin tested;
“ Now, therefore, I, Berne A. Pyrke, as Commissioner of Farms and Markets of the State of New York, by virtue of the power and authority conferred upon me by the provisions of Section ■76 of the Farms and Markets Law, do hereby ORDER
“1. That the premises or farm on which said untested herd is harbored or kept be, and the same hereby is, placed in quarantine.
“ 2. That no Bovine animal shall be removed from or brought to said premises.
“3. That no products of the Bovine animals on said premises shall be removed from said premises.
“ This order shall take effect immediately and continue in full force until otherwise ordered.
Signed and sealed this 10th day of November, 1925.
“ [seal] BERNE
A. PYRKE,
“ Commissioner
by C. P. Norgord,
“ Ass’t. Commissioner

In substance, said quarantine order provides that no bovine animal should be removed from or brought to said premises and no products of bovine animals on said premises should be removed therefrom while the herd remains untested.

The defendant apparently conformed to the requirements of the quarantine until the 22d of July, 1926, when, in violation of the provisions thereof, he transported from said farm, to a milk station at Marcy, Oneida county, N. Y., a quantity of milk conceded to be a product of his said herd of cattle, which said milk he delivered for sale at said station. Again, on the 15th of September, 1926, the defendant violated the provisions and terms of said quarantine by transporting and delivering for sale at a milk station at Oriskany, Oneida county, N. Y., a quantity of milk, a product of his said herd. At the time of the trial he was still delivering his milk around Oriskany station, contrary to the order of quarantine. .The defendant concedes these two' violations of the quarantine order on his part. As matter of fact, the defendant concedes all the acts charged against him in the complaint to be true, denying only that the same are illegal or in violation of law. Section 76 of the Farms and Markets Law (as amd. by Laws of 1924, chap. 267), in force in the year 1925, is as follows: “ Whenever ninety per centum of the herds of cattle in any town have been subjected [97]*97to the tuberculin test for the purpose of ridding such herds of the disease known as tuberculosis, and the owner of any untested herd in such town refuses or neglects to have his herd tuberculin tested, then the commissioner may order the premises or farm on which such untested herd is harbored to be put in quarantine, so that no domestic anima.] shall be removed from or brought to the premises quarantined, and so that no products of the domestic animals on the premises so quarantined shall be removed from the said premises.”

The defendant contends that the complaint should be dismissed for the following reasons and he so moved at the trial.

“ 1. On the ground that the quarantine in effect makes tuberculin testing compulsory, whereas the law, section 79 of Farms and Markets Law, makes it optional

“2. On the ground that the quarantine is unauthorized under section 76 of the Farms and Markets Law, as amended, it not having been made to ‘ prevent the dissemination of a dangerous communicable disease,’ and there being no claim that the defendant’s cattle were diseased.

“3. On the ground that the quarantine order deprives the defendant of the right to transport to the market for sale, untested milk within the territorial limits of the town of Rome, where such right is possessed and enjoyed by other dairymen of the same class without restriction.

“4. On the ground that a judgment against the defendant would subject him to a penalty without violation of law.

“5. On the ground that the quarantine order (assuming it is authorized by section 76 of the Farms and Markets Law) is unconstitutional and void, and outside of the police powers of the state, its purpose not being to promote the public health, morals or safety.

“ 6. On the ground that the quarantine order deprives the defendant of liberty and property without due process of law.”

The case was brought on for trial before a jury.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
129 Misc. 94, 221 N.Y.S. 20, 1927 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 689, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-teuscher-nysupct-1927.