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39 A.D. 424

Hill v. Warner

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York · decided 1899-07-01

Appeal by the defendant, Abram L. Warner, as executor of the last will and testament of Sarah Warner, deceased, from so much of an order of the Supreme Court, made at the Erie Special Term and entered in the office of the clerk of the county of Erie on the 12th day of September, 1898, as overrules said defendant’s answer as frivolous and directs judgment for the plaintiff for the relief demanded in the complaint.

Relies on Bennett v. . Leeds Manufacturing Co. · Porter v. . Kingsbury

Decided 1899-07-01

Spring, J.:

¶1It was essential for the' plaintiff to aver that notice of the entry of the judgment was served upon the attorney for the appellant, and also upon the sureties. (Code Civ. Proc. § 1309; Porter v. Kingsbury, 71 N. Y. 588; Rae v. Beach, 76 id. 164 ; Chilson v. Howe, 23 N. Y. St. Repr. 26.)

¶2The defendant, therefore, could put this fact in issue, and his answer does this by an allegation conforming to the requirements of the Code. Such an answer cannot be overruled as frivolous. (Trumbull v. Ashley, 26 App. Div. 356; Bennett v. Leeds Mfg. Co., 110 N. Y. 150 ; Byrne v. Hegeman, 24 App. Div. 152; Stockton v. Kenney, 24 Misc. Rep. 300.)

¶3The truth or falsity of the answer cannot be determined upon this motion. The vice of a sham answer is its falsity, and a defense of that kind can be stricken out on motion. (Code Civ. Proc. § 538.)

¶4A frivolous pleading is one which on inspection is inherently bad, that is, it contains no defense. While it may be quite apparent the pleading is interposed to gain time the court cannot say, on a bare *426examination of it, that this denial of a material allegation of the complaint is made for that purpose. Issues raised in a permissible manner cannot be disposed of in that summary -way.

¶5The order is reversed, with ten dollars costs and disbursements.

¶6All concurred.

¶7Order reversed, with ten dollars costs and disbursements.

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