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45 N.Y. 341

Hurd v. . Gill

New York Court of Appeals

Decided April 28, 1871

New York Court of Appeals · decided 1871-04-28

This was an action on an alleged breach of contract. By the terms of the contract, the defendant agreed to allow the plaintiff to dig molding sand on his premises in places to be designated by him (the defendant), at the rate of twenty-five cents per ton. It was further stated to be “ understood that the digging shall commence in the spring of 1867, upon Opening of navigation, and cease at its close.” The defendant denied the breach of the contract.

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

““The agreement sued upon does not show upon its face any consideration which will support an action upon it against the defendant. The plaintiff does not agree to take any sand, nor is there any understanding on his part which furnishes a consideration for the agreement of the defendant;” citing the case of Railroad Co. v. Dane, supra.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Rafolovitz v. American Tobacco Co.

““But a consideration may be shown by extrinsic evidence, and, as this point was not raised on the trial, we cannot assume that such consideration did not exist.””

quoted by 1 later decision, including Rafolovitz v. American Tobacco Co.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1871-04-28

How this case has been cited

Cited by 7 later decisions — most recently June 1932

7 state decisions

301871188018901900191019201930decided

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.

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*343 Andrews, J.

¶1 It was assumed by the court on the trial, that the defendant was bound by the contract proved. Ho question as to the consideration was made. The plaintiff was nonsuited on the ground, that the defendant had performed the contract, when he had designated one place on his farm from which molding sand might be taken by the plaintiff, and that he was not bound to designate another, when the supply at the place first designated became exhausted. It had been shown- by the plaintiff that in June, 1867, the supply of sand failed at the place designated, and that although it could have been procured elsewhere on the premises, the defendant refused to designate any other point from which the plaintiff might take it.

¶2 The contract is not, we think, subject to the limited construction which was given to it. It does not indicate any intention on the part of the defendant to restrict the taking of sand to a single location. The permission to the plaintiff to dig it, covered the whole time between the opening and close of navigation. He was authorized to dig in “ such places ” as should be designated by the defendant, implying that several or successive designations might become necessary. The defendant reserved the right to indicate the points from which the sand should be taken,' but the right of the plaintiff to sand from the premises was not terminated by the failure of the supply at a given point.

¶3 The agreement sued upon does not show upon its face any consideration which will support an action upon it against the defendant.

¶4 The plaintiff does not agree to take any sand, nor is there any understanding on his part which furnishes a consideration for the agreement of the defendant. (The Chicago and Northeastern R. R. Co. v. Dane et al., 4 Hand [43 N. Y.], 241.) But a consideration may be shown by extrinsic evidence, and as this point was not raised on the trial, we cannot assume that such consideration did not exist.

¶5 The judgment should be reversed and a new trial granted, with costs to abide the event.

*344 All the judges agreeing, judgment reversed and new trial ordered.
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