Sember v. Loughrey

193 Misc. 573, 79 N.Y.S.2d 156, 1948 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2376
CourtNew York County Courts
DecidedMay 7, 1948
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 193 Misc. 573 (Sember v. Loughrey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York County Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sember v. Loughrey, 193 Misc. 573, 79 N.Y.S.2d 156, 1948 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2376 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1948).

Opinion

Robinson, J.

This is an appeal from an ex parte order granted by Paul J. Schmidle, Justice of the Peace of the Town of West Seneca, New York, on February 16, 1948, reopening the case and vacating the decision made in this proceeding on December 18, 1947.

[575]*575William Sember, the landlord appellant herein, instituted summary proceedings under the authority of section 5-a of the Justice Court Act for the removal of Minnie Loughrey from certain premises in the town of West Seneca. On December 18, 1947, the case was called, the tenant appeared in person and the landlord by J. Byan, attorney.

In the return submitted by the Justice and filed in the Brie County Clerk’s Office on February 27, 1948, the following entries appear:

“ Dec. 18th, 1947 stipulation was entered that final order be entered and execution of warrant of dispossess be held sixty days.

“ Feb. 16th, 1948 order re-opening proceeding signed and copy served upon plaintiff.”

A little further on in the return the Justice throws light upon the above terse entries by stating in a signed statement that the “ Decision in favor of the petitioner in the above entitled matter having heretofore been made by the undersigned, * * * and the date for the signing of a warrant of eviction having not yet arrived and the tenant, Minnie Loughrey, having duly made application for a re-opening of this case,” he thereby ordered, adjudged and decreed that this proceeding be and the same is hereby re-opened and that a hearing upon the merits be and the same hereby is ordered and directed to be held ” stating as grounds for such order reasons numbered 1 through 3 set forth in substance as follows:

(1) That the tenant was not represented by counsel.

(2) That the notice to vacate was insufficient (citing paragraph [2] of subdivision [a] of section 209 of the Housing and Bent Act of 1947; U. S. Code, tit. 50, Appendix, § 1899, subd. [a], par. [2]).

(3) That the decision was made without a proper hearing to sustain a decision or judgment for the petitioner by default against the tenant.

To determine the propriety of the above set forth order herein appealed from, it is first necessary to scrutinize the original proceedings referred to above in order to decide the legal effect of said proceedings.

In answer to respondent’s contentions concerning the alleged defects both in the notice and in the proceedings before the Justice, it is significant to note the long line of cases in New York-State holding that a general appearance by a party in such proceedings waives most defects going to the jurisdiction of the person or the subject matter, and that an individual [576]*576may limit his rights and duties in relation to another individual stipulation or agreement.

In Reich v. Cochran (151 N. Y. 122 [1896]), a case involving summary proceedings, Judge Martin" states at page 129:

The appellant, in his brief, has also raised several questions as to the regularity of the proceedings and the validity of the judgment entered in the District Court. We do not deem it necessary to examine them separately. The record discloses that the plaintiff in this action appeared in the District Court and made no objections to the regularity of the proceedings therein. Furthermore, upon the trial of this action, it was stipulated in open court that such a proceeding was instituted for the purpose of dispossessing the plaintiff, and that on the seventeenth of August, 1892, a judgment was entered in favor of the petitioner that he have possession of the premises and that a warrant issue to remove him therefrom. There was then no claim or suggestion that any of the proceedings which resulted in that judgment were irregular or that the judgment was invalid. We think when properly construed this stipulation must be regarded as an admission that a proper and valid judgment was entered in favor of the petitioner. Under the circumstances we are of the opinion that the plaintiff is not in a position to raise any question as to the regularity or validity of that judgment.

Moreover, no such objections were taken to the judgment upon the trial of this action, and it is a well-settled rule in this court that a question which was not raised on the trial will not be considered for the first time on appeal.”

In Crane v. Van Derveer (45 App. Div. 139 [3d Dept., 1899]), a proceeding before a justice for forcible entry and detainer, Mr. Justice Merwist, in granting .the petitioner possession of the disputed premises, refutes the respondent’s contention that “ the court had not acquired jurisdiction of the subject-matter ” because of an inadequate description in the petition of the “ interest of the petitioner in the premises of which possession was claimed,” and states as follows at pages 140-141: The query is whether the objection was not waived by the general appearance and answer and subsequent proceedings before the question was raised. * * * We are of the opinion that the defect, if there was one, was waived.”

It is interesting to note that in the case last above cited, the defendant appeared and called for a jury trial, a -panel was named, and the case was adjourned for two days, there having been produced no testimony or other evidence of any [577]*577sort going either to the merits of the case or to the issue of the propriety of the jurisdiction at that time.

Again in Matter of Steele (154 App. Div. 860 [4th Dept., 1913]), where the petition in a summary proceedings to remove a tenant was challenged for certain defects in form, McLennan, P. J., stated at page 862: 1 ‘ However objectionable in form this petition may have been, the parties agreed to proceed to try the proceeding upon the merits, thereby waiving any defect in the petition.”

Although in the case at bar it is claimed that there was no adequate hearing, the stipulation in open court between the parties to the proceedings determined conclusively in the absence of a showing of fraud, their rights and duties in the matter at issue in their relationship to each other.

In the Matter of New York, Lackawanna & Western R. R. Co. (98 N. Y. 447 [1885]), wherein the court is requested to supersede an agreement covering the appraisal of property in dispute by the appointment of a new group of commissioners, Judge Earl, states at pages 452-453 the following: “ But the agreement of the parties bound them and concluded the court in that proceeding, and the court was bound as between the parties to observe, enforce and carry out the agreement. Parties by their stipulations may in many ways make the law for any legal proceeding to which they are parties, which not only binds them, but which the courts are bound to enforce. They may stipulate away statutory, and even constitutional rights. They may stipulate for shorter limitations of time for bringing actions for the breach of contracts than are prescribed by the statutes, such limitations being frequently found in insurance policies. They may stipulate that the decision of a court shall be final, and thus waive the right of appeal; and all such stipulations not unreasonable, not against good morals, or sound public policy, have been and will be enforced; and generally, all stipulations made by parties for the government of their conduct, or the control of their rights, in the trial of a cause, or the conduct of a litigation, are enforced by the courts.”

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Bluebook (online)
193 Misc. 573, 79 N.Y.S.2d 156, 1948 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2376, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sember-v-loughrey-nycountyct-1948.