Sweet v. City of Syracuse

20 N.Y.S. 924, 49 N.Y. St. Rep. 262
New York Supreme Court·Decided November 15, 1892·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Martin, J.

This action was brought by the plaintiff, as a taxpayer, against the city of Syracuse, its mayor, clerk-, treasurer, the members of its common council and its water board, to perpetually restrain them from carrying into effect or exercising the powers conferred by chapter 291 of the Laws of 1889, entitled “An act to establish and maintain a water department in and for the city of Syracuse, ” as amended by chapter 814 of- the Laws of 1890. The defendants constituting the Syracuse water board appeared and answered by their attorneys, and the other defendants appeared and answered by the corporation counsel of the city of Syracuse. The action was subsequently brought to trial at a special term of this court, and resulted in a judgment dismissing the plaintiff’s complaint on the merits, “with costs separately to the defendant the city of Syracuse and the defendants comprising the Syracuse water board, ” and adj udging that the city of Syracuse recover of the plaintiff $65 costs, and the defendants comprising the Syracuse water board also recover the sum of $85.99 costs. From this judgment the plaintiff appealed. 11 N. Y. Supp. 114. The general term modified it by declaring that section 18 of chapter 291 of the Laws of 1889, as amended by chapter 314 of the Laws of 1890, was invalid, and by enjoining the defendants from exercising any powers by virtue of that section, by striking out the award of costs contained therein, and by awarding to the plaintiff the costs of the appeal. 14 N. Y. Supp. 421. Thereupon the plaintiff, as well as the defendants, appealed to the court of appeals, where the judgment of the general term was reversed, (27 N. E. Rep. 1081,) and that of the special term affirmed, “with costs.”

The record and proceedings in the court of appeals were remitted to this court on June 26, 1891. On the next day the defendants obtained an order making the judgment of the court of appeals the judgment of this court, and the defendants constituting the Syracuse water board entered judgment reversing the judgment of the general term, affirming the judgment of the [925]*925special term, and awarding them $249.53 costs. On August 12,1891, the costs included in the judgment entered on the decision of the special term, and those included in the judgment entered July 27, 1891, on the decision of the court of appeals, were paid by the plaintiff to one of the attorneys for the defendants constituting the Syracuse water board, who executed and acknowledged a satisfaction thereof. As there was a conflict in the affidavits upon the question, the special term was justified in finding that the costs were paid by the plaintiff voluntarily, and without protest. Subsequently, and on the 28th day of August, 1891, the other defendants entered another and second judgment against the plaintiff, reversing the judgment of the general term, affirming that of the special term, and awarding them the sum of $189.63, costs. On September 19,1891, the plaintiff made amotion to vacate the latter judgment, on the ground that it was irregular in consequence of the entry of the previous one, and that two bills of costs were not allowable. On the hearing of this motion the court made an order that the judgment be corrected by deducting therefrom the sum of $70, and that the motion to vacate it be denied, without costs. From the portion of that order denying the plaintiff’s motion to vacate and set aside the judgment, and to strike out the remaining costs contained therein, the plaintiff appealed. The defendants appealed from that portion of the order which directed the deduction of $70 from the costs thereby awarded.

The first question presented by this appeal is whether the court properly denied the defendants’ motion to vacate the judgment of August 28, 1891. The only substantial right involved in the motion was the defendants’ right to costs. Were the defendants entitled to two bills of costs? It will be observed that the only direction made by the court of appeals as to costs was that the judgment of the general term be reversed, and the judgment of the special term affirmed, “ with costs.” The costs were in the discretion of the court, as the action was not one specified in section 3228 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Section 3238. This being an action in equity, dll the defendants having joined in one appeal, and the decision of the court of appeals having been a reversal of the judgment of the general term, and an affirmance of the judgment of the special term, with costs, but one bill of costs, was authorized. Van Gelder v. Van Gelder, 84 N. Y. 658; In re New York, W. S. & B. Ry. Co., 28 Hun, 505; Fischer v. Langbein, 31 Hun, 272; Everson v. Gehrman, 2 Abb. Pr. 413.

We are of the opinion that the entry of the second judgment was irregular, and the court erred in denying the plaintiff’s motion to vacate it. If correct in this conclusion, it follows that the order appealed from should be reversed, and that the defendants’ appeal should not prevail. It would seem, however, that the judgment first entered should have been amended by the special term by awarding costs to all the defendants, instead of the defendants comprising the Syracuse water board. Our conclusion as to the appeal from the order of September 24, 1891, is that it should be reversed, with $10 costs and disbursements, that the motion to vacate the second judgment should be granted, and the judgment entered July 27, 1891, amended, so as to award -the costs therein to all the defendants, instead of the defendants comprising the Syracuse water board.

Subsequently, and on the 27th of October, 1891, the plaintiff made a motion for a reargument of the case in the court of appeals. This motion was granted, and the supreme court was requested to return to the court of appeals the remittitur in the case. On November 4, 1891, an exporte order was made at a special term of this court, directing the return of the remittitur. The case was reargued, and again decided by the court of appeals. 29 N. E. Rep. 289. The proceedings were again remitted to the supreme court, including the first remittitur, which was in no manner changed, and the second- remittitur, reversed the judgment of the general [926]*926term, and affirmed that of the special term, with costs in that court. After-wards, and on January 25, 1892, the special term, on motion of the attorney for the Syracuse water board, granted an order making the judgment of the court of appeals the judgment of this court, and directing judgment in accordance with the provisions of the second remittitur, except that it provided that the judgment should be entered “ with costs of said appeal,” instead of with costs in the court of appeals. On the following day the attorney for the water board entered another judgment, reversing the judgment of the general term, affirming the judgment of the special term, and awarding to the defendants composing the Syracuse water board $102.86, costs against the plaintiff. On February 16, 1892, the plaintiff made a motion “to modify said order of January 25,1892, by making the same conform to the remittitur

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Sweet v. City of Syracuse, 20 N.Y.S. 924, 49 N.Y. St. Rep. 262 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1892).

20 N.Y.S. 924 (Sweet v. City of Syracuse) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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