Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

3 Abb. Pr. 396

Brod v. Heymann

New York Supreme Court

Decided January 15, 1868

New York Supreme Court · decided 1868-01-15

Motion to vacate a judgment. This action was commenced by attachment October 3, 1867. Publication of the summons was commenced November 4, 1867; and the last publication was made December 9,1867. On January 4th, 1868, judgment was entered by the plaintiff’s attorneys for want of an answer. This judgment the defendants now moved to set aside ; the motion being argued chiefly on the ground of irregularity in that the judgment was entered before the time to answer had expired.

Decided 1868-01-15

Cardozo, J.

¶1(after disposing of a preliminary objection)—I think the judgment was entered too soon. It is well settled that the time to answer commences from the period that the service, whether personal or by publication, becomes complete. The only question here is, when did that service, which was made by publication, become perfect.

¶2The cases relied on by the plaintiff’s counsel do not bear upon the question, because they were made in matters arising before section 425 of the Code, which was enacted July 10th, 1851, had taken effect. By that section, which the learned counsel seems to have overlooked, the computation of the time is to be made by excluding the first' day of publication» and including that which completes the full period required for publication.

¶3The period required is six weeks—forty-two days—and including the first publication, and allowing the full period to elapse, as this statute expressly requires, it is manifest ■ that the time had not expired when the notice of appearance was tendered.

¶4I think, therefore, that the judgment was prematurely and irregularly entered and must be set aside, but without costs.

/3/abbpr/396 · .json · Public domain