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52 Cal. 371

Brady v. Kelly

California Supreme Court

Decided July 1, 1877

California Supreme Court · decided 1877-07-01

On the 24th day of May, 1869, the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco passed a resolution of intention to construct a brick sewer, with manhole and cover, on Leavenworth Street, from Geary to O’Farrell Street. The contract was let, and the work performed.

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“"Where two or more lots are assessed for the expenses of work on a street, each lot is chargeable only with the amount assessed upon it, and not for the amount assessed against another lot, and in enforcing the lien of the assessment the judgment should state the amount for which each lot is liable, and should order a sale of each lot, or so much thereof as may be necessary to satisfy such amount and costs. " (Our emphasis).”

quoted by 1 later decision, including 127 Ind. App. 642 - Frankenstein v. COIL CONSTR. CO., INC.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1877-07-01

How this case has been cited

Cited by 4 later decisions — most recently June 1957

4 state decisions

10187718801890190019101920193019401950decided

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 →

¶1The liens were enforced under the Statute of 1862, p. 391, and the Act of 1863, p. 525. The proceedings are wholly in rem against the lots for the specific amounts assessed against each, and as there is no contract between the plaintiff and defendant in reference to either piece of land, it is difficult to imagine upon what principle the joinder of action can be sustained.

¶2It is apparent from the provisions of secs. 8, 9, 10,11, and 13 of the acts in question that the assessment on each lot, so separately assessed and numbered on the diagram, constitutes a single and separate cause of action; and separate judgments should run for the specific amount of the assessment against the specific lot so assessed, in specie, and none other.

¶3These causes of action arise by operation of law only, and are not covered by the provisions of sec. 427, allowing actions arising upon contract to be joined in one complaint.

¶4Robert Y. Hayne, also for the Appellant.

¶5G. H. Parker, for Respondent.

By the Court :

¶6Where two or more lots are assessed for the expenses of work on a street, each lot is chargeable only with the amount assessed upon it, and not for the amount assessed against another lot, and in enforcing the lien of the assessment the judgment should state the amount for which each lot is liable, and should order a sale of each lot, or so much thereof as may be necessary to satisfy such amount and costs.

¶7Cause remanded, with directions to modify the decree in accordance with this opinion.

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