Wright v. Larkin

91 Misc. 573, 154 N.Y.S. 961
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 15, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 91 Misc. 573 (Wright v. Larkin) 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
Wright v. Larkin, 91 Misc. 573, 154 N.Y.S. 961 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1915).

Opinion

Woodward, J.

The complaint alleges that at all the times hereinafter mentioned, the defendant, Hubert E. Larkin, and. one Alexander Sangster, were co-partners, engaged in the contracting business at Lock-port, N. Y., under the name of Larkin & Sangster, until the death of said Alexander Sangster, prior to the commencement of this action, and that the defendant, Hubert E. Larkin, is now the surviving partner of said firm; (2) That on or about April 15th, 1911, the plaintiff and said Hubert E. Larkin and Alexander Sangster entered into a contract in writing, a copy of which is hereto annexed, marked/ Schedule A,’ and made a part of this complaint; (3) That the plaintiff, under and pursuant to said contract, between the date of said contract and December 31st, 1913, performed work, labor and services, and furnished materials for said firm of Larkin & Sangster, of the reasonable value of $30,326.81, which was the agreed price thereof; (4) That plaintiff has performed all the conditions of said contract on his part; but that no part of said sum has been paid except the sum of $28,-332.16, paid thereon between January 3rd, 1912, and November 24th, 1913.”

Following the above allegations, under the Roman numerals II, the pleader continues: " For a second cause of action herein, plaintiff alleges: (5) That during his performance of said contract plaintiff furnished to defendant Hubert E. Larkin and said Alexander Sangster materials consisting of lumber and other materials of the value of $485.31, which amount [575]*575said Larkin and Sangster agreed to pay therefor; (6) That no part of said sum has been paid.”

In the above manner the pleader sets forth four other alleged causes of action growing out of the performance of the contract, and then alleges “ (19) That on or about May 2nd, 1914, the plaintiff executed and delivered to the defendant, Hubert E. Larkin, individually, a paper purporting to be an assignment of any moneys plaintiff might collect upon his cause of action herein, to the extent of $2,500.00 thereof, and plaintiff is informed and believes that said defendant, Hubert E. Larkin, individually, claims an interest in said plaintiff’s cause of action to the extent of said sum of $2,500; (20) That on February 27th, 1912, and June 27th, 1914, plaintiff executed and delivered to defendant The People’s Bank of Buffalo, two papers purporting to be assignments of plaintiff’s causes of action herein, as security for certain moneys then due said defendant, The People’s Bank of Buffalo, from plaintiff, and plaintiff is informed and believes that defendant, The People’s Bank of Buffalo, claims an interest under said alleged assignments in plaintiff’s causes of action herein. ’ ’

Following these allegations, containing the only suggestions of an equitable nature, the complaint demands judgment against the defendant, Hubert E. Larkin, as surviving partner of himself and Alexander Sangster, deceased, in the sum of $13,904.01, together with interest and costs, and that the rights of the defendants,- Hubert E. Larkin, individually, and the People’s Bank of Buffalo, to said causes of action, or the proceeds thereof, be determined as their interests may appear.

The defendant, Hubert E. Larkin, individually, appears and demurs to the complaint generally on the ground that it does not state facts sufficient to con[576]*576stitute a cause of action. He likewise demurs to each of the five further alleged causes of action after the first' one, on the same ground, and further to the complaint generally on the ground that there is a defect of parties plaintiff, and that causes of action are improperly united.

Having reached the conclusion that the complaint fails to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, it will not be necessary to consider the latter questions.

It must be entirély clear that the complaint attempts to set out six separate causes of action, all of them growing out of the performance of one contract. They are such causes of action as may be joined in the same complaint, undoubtedly, under the provisions of section 484 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and as to such actions the statute provides that the statement of the facts constituting each cause of action must be separate and numbered.” Code Civ. Pro. § 483. Being separate and distinct causes of action, each one of them must have: “A plain and concise statement of the facts ” constituting the cause of action without unnecessary repetition. Code Civ. Pro., § 481. That is, each cause of action, which is to be separated and numbered, must have within itself the necessary allegation of fact to constitute a cause of action entirely independent of every other alleged cause of action in the complaint. McKenzie v. Fox, 8 N. Y. Supp. 460; Walsh v. Lispenard Realty Co., 55 Misc. Rep. 400; Wallace v. Jones, 68 App. Div. 192; Bigelow v. Drummond, 98 id. 506; People v. Koster, 50 Misc. Rep. 46, 48. In the case last above cited the court says: ‘ It is a well-established rule of pleading that each cause of action must be stated separately and shall contain every allegation which is necessary to maintain that cause of action independently.” [577]*577While this may be done by a reference to matters contained in definite paragraphs of the complaint (Bigelow v. Drummond, supra) a good canse of action cannot be made out by simply alleging matters which, if connected with other allegations, might be made to spell out a cause of action. This is a fixed rule of pleading, necessary to the orderly administration of the law, and may not be disregarded.

“ It seems impossible to treat the complaint as containing a single cause of action. By its express allegations it contains several; and if it be true that the separation of them was not in all cases necessary, yet, as to some portions it certainly was, and the plaintiff ought not to be heard now to urge his own inaccuracy in making the separations as a ground for defeating a demurrer which adopts and follows its own divisions and classifications.” Victory Webb Printing F. M. Mfg. Co. v. Beecher, 26 Hun, 48, 50. The effort being made to plead six distinct causes of action, as in the case last above quoted, it follows that the demurrer to the complaint generally need not be considered, except in connection with the first cause of action. The complaint is not of a general equitable nature, but seeks to recover on distinct actions at law, with an effort to involve equitable considerations as to the last alleged cause of action. None of the alleged causes of action after the first one makes any effort to incorporate within them the essential facts pleaded in the alleged first cause of action, and it follows, therefore, that they do not state facts sufficient to constitute the several causes of action attempted to be set up.

We come, therefore, to the consideration of the first cause of action, regarding that as having relation to the demand for judgment, and as covered by the demurrer to the complaint as a whole. The first cause of action, after alleging the acts of the partnership [578]*578and that the defendant is the surviving partner, avers the entering into a contract in writing, which is made a part of the complaint, and that the plaintiff, ‘ ‘

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Related

Wright v. Larkin
160 N.Y.S. 1151 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1916)

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Bluebook (online)
91 Misc. 573, 154 N.Y.S. 961, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wright-v-larkin-nysupct-1915.