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124 N.Y. 319

26 N.E 911

36 N.Y.St.Rep. 265

Simmons v. . Everson

New York Court of Appeals

Decided February 24, 1891

New York Court of Appeals · decided 1891-02-24

This action was brought to recover damages for the death of Myron W. Simmons, plaintiffs’ intestate, which was alleged to have been caused by the defendants’ negligence. The trial court found that for many years prior to October 18, 1887, the appellants owned in severalty three lots, each being twenty-two feet wide, and bounded on the east by the center line of South Salina street, in the city of Syracuse.

Relies on Irvine v. . Wood · Chipman v. . Palmer

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1891-02-24

How this case has been cited

Cited by 28 later decisions — most recently April 2004 · most notably 345 F. Supp. 353 - Hall v. EI Du Pont De Nemours & Co., Inc. (1972), Starcher v. South Penn Oil Co. (1918)

3 federal appellate · 20 state decisions

70189119001910192019301940195019601970198019902000decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Follett, Ch. J.

¶1 It is urged, in behalf of the defendants, that at most this is but a case of several independent acts of negligence committed by each, the joint effect of which caused the accident, and for which they are not jointly liable within the rule laid down in Chipman v. Palmer (77 N. Y. 51).

¶2 The case at bar does not belong to the class of actions arising out of acts or omissions which are simply negligent, and while the defendants did not intend by their several acts to commit the injury, their conduct created a public nuisance which is an indictable misdemeanor under the statutes of this state (Penal Code, §§ 385, 387; Vincett v. Cook, 4 Hun, 318) and at common law. (Regina v. Watts, 1 Salk. 357; S. C., 2 Ld. Raym. 856; 1 Buss. Cr. [5th ed.] 423 ; 2 Whar. Cr. Law, § 1410 ; Big. Torts, 237; Pol. Torts [2d ed.] 345 ; Stephens Dig. Cr. Law, art. 176; Indian P. C. § 268.)

¶3 Persons who by their several acts or omissions maintain a public or common nuisance, are jointly and severally liable for *324 such damages as are the direct, immediate and probable consequence of it. (Irvine v. Wood, 51 N. Y. 224, 230; Slater v. Mersereau, 64 id. 138; Timlin v. Standard Oil Co., 54 Hun, 44; Klauder v. McGrath, 35 Penn. St. 128; 1 Shear. & R. Meg. [4th ed.] § 122; Pol. Tort [2d ed.] 356.)

¶4 The fall of these four-story brick walls into the street, was. the direct and immediate consequences- of the several acts of the defendants in suffering the portions standing on their own lots to remain unsupported after they had visibly begun to-incline towards the street, and it was as obvious before as it was after the accident that if any part of the front wall fell, a. large part of it must, and that it would go into the street.

¶5 The judgment should be affirmed, with costs.

¶6 All concur, except Vann, J., not voting.

¶7 Judgment affirmed.

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