Red Apple Rest, Inc. v. State

46 Misc. 2d 623, 260 N.Y.S.2d 206, 1965 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1831
CourtNew York Court of Claims
DecidedJune 2, 1965
DocketClaim No. 39675
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 46 Misc. 2d 623 (Red Apple Rest, Inc. v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Red Apple Rest, Inc. v. State, 46 Misc. 2d 623, 260 N.Y.S.2d 206, 1965 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1831 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1965).

Opinion

Henry W. Lengyel, J.

This is a claim for the appropriation of claimant’s land pursuant to section 30 of the Highway Law, which proceeding is described as Tuxedo-Harriman, Part I, S. H. No. 8258, Orange County, Map No. 55, Parcels Nos. 104, 105, and 115. The aforesaid map and description was filed in the office of the Secretary of State on the 20th day of March, 1959, in the office of the Clerk of the County of Orange on the 9th day of October, 1959; and personal service was made on the claimant on the 8th day of December, 1960. The original claim was filed with the Clerk of the Court of Claims and the Attorney-G-eneral on the 6th day of October, 1961, and an amended claim was filed with the Clerk of the Court of Claims [625]*625on the 19th day of March, 1964, pursuant to an order of this court dated the 9th day of March, 1964; and the same has not been assigned or submitted to any other court or tribunal for audit or determination. The court adopts the description of the appropriated property as shown on the map and description filed in the Orange County Clerk’s office, a copy of which is attached to the claim and same is incorporated herein by reference.

In order to place this claim in proper perspective we believe it necessary to set forth in detail the land holdings of not only the claimant herein but also of the contiguous owners. We shall initially set forth the deeds covering the east side of Route 17 as we proceed north:

(1) Deed from Hermine Thomas to Reuben and Ethel Freed, tenants by entirety, dated September 21, 1944, and recorded on said date in the Orange County Clerk’s office in Liber 941 of Deeds at page 40.

(2) Deed from Anton Thomas and Hermine Thomas to Red Apple Rest, Inc., claimant herein, dated June 26, 1942, and recorded on said date in the Orange County Clerk’s office in Liber 888 of Deeds at page 577. This property is immediately contiguous to the north of the land conveyed by deed No. 1 above.

(3) Deed from William Aver ell Harriman and Marie N. Harriman to Reuben Freed, dated July 31,1939, and recorded in the Orange County Clerk’s office on October 23, 1939, in Liber 824 of Deeds at page 592. This property is immediately contiguous to the north of the land conveyed by deed No. 2 above, except for a parcel with frontage on Route 17 which was previously conveyed by the Harrimans to the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Reuben Freed conveyed this parcel to himself and his wife, Ethel, as tenants by the entirety, by deed dated November 1,1939, and recorded on November 2, 1939 in Liber 825 of Deeds at page 440.

(4) Deed from William Averell Harriman and Marie N. Harriman to Reuben and Ethel Freed, as tenants by the entirety, recorded in the Orange County Clerk’s office in Liber 851 of Deeds at page 578. This deed was not placed in evidence but is reflected on claimant’s exhibit 6 in evidence. This property is immediately north of and contiguous to parcel 3 above.

(5) Deed from Jasper Herbert to Red Apple Rest, Inc., dated July 15, 1949, and recorded on July 21, 1949, in the Orange County Clerk’s office in Liber 1129 of Deeds at page 113. This property is immediately north of and contiguous to parcel 4 above.

[626]*626The above five parcels comprise all of the property owned by Mr. and Mrs. Freed and by Bed Apple Best, Inc., on the east side of Bonte 17. On the west side of Boute 17 and again proceeding northerly we find the following conveyances:

(6) Deed from Hermine Schroder (formerly Hermine Thomas) to Bed Apple Best, Inc., dated June 23, 1949, and recorded on June 24, 1949, in the Orange County Clerk’s office in Liber 1126 of Deeds at page 281. This parcel is in part directly across Boute 17 from the Bed Apple Best property conveyed by deed No. 2 above.

(7) Deed from Bussell E. Cooley and wife to Beuben and Ethel Freed, as tenants by the entirety, dated November 1,1939, and recorded on November 8,1939, in the Orange County Clerk’s office in Liber 826 of Deeds at page 40. This parcel is contiguous to parcel No. 6 above on both the north and west boundary lines.

(8) Deed from Bussell E. Cooley and wife to Beuben and Ethel Freed, as tenants by the entirety, dated August 30, 1949, and recorded on September 1, 1949, in the Orange County Clerk’s office in Liber 1133 of Deeds at page 395. This parcel is contiguous to parcel No. 7 above on both the north and west boundary lines.

Bed Apple Best, Inc., was incorporated in the State of New York on April 8, 1931. At the date of appropriation and for some years prior thereto there were 200 shares of stock outstanding which were owned as follows:

Beuben Freed.......................... 146 shares

Herbert Freed ......................... 4 shares

Beuben Freed, as Trustee of an irrevocable trust for the benefit of Herbert Freed,

Marilyn Willinger, Evelyn Freed and

Elaine Freed......................... 50 shares

200 shares

Beuben Freed was president of the corporation and Herbert Freed was vice-president.

Before we explore the merits of the subject case we believe it necessary that we rule on two motions made by the State of New York during the course of the trial and upon which we reserved decision. Prior to the initiation of this appropriation claim, the claimant herein and Beuben and Ethel Freed joined in an action in equity praying for a judgment declaring that J. Burch McMorran, Superintendent of Public Works of the State of New York, had illegally interfered with plaintiffs’ right of access to and from Boute 17. The Court of Appeals in the [627]*627case of Red Apple Rest v. McMorran (12 N Y 2d 203, 206) stated: “We think, to the contrary, that under the Highway Law, and under the police power, and to effectuate a reasonably safe channelling of traffic, the State had a right to erect upon the property appropriated the guardrails in question.” This to us is the sole question decided by the Court of Appeals in said case. The Court of Appeals did go on to state that “ The guardrails, as erected, did not create a nonaccess highway or bar access to the premises in question but left ample room for ingress and egress.” This statement we consider as an observation made by said court not necessary or required in arriving at its decision but as obiter dictum which we will consider in our evaluation of monetary damages. We do not consider this obiter dictum as res judicata on the issues presented to us in the subject trial. We, therefore, deny the State’s motion on that point.

The State also maintained at the trial that claimant had not brought a claim for damage to the restaurant property east of Route 17; and, that if there was any damage such was caused by the guardrails on the east boundary of Route 17 which was a de facto appropriation and that claimant must sue separately for those damages. We reserved decision on the State’s objection and accepted testimony from claimant on alleged damages to the east restaurant property. After an examination of the claim and amended claim, it is our opinion that claimant is properly before this court with respect to any damages sustained by its property both east and west of Route 17. We overrule the State’s objection in this respect and deny the State’s motion to strike said testimony. The language of the court in Chalmers & Son v. State of New York (271 App. Div. 699, 701-702) is particularly appropriate to this situation:

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Bluebook (online)
46 Misc. 2d 623, 260 N.Y.S.2d 206, 1965 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1831, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/red-apple-rest-inc-v-state-nyclaimsct-1965.