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7 Abb. Pr. 258

Doyle v. Mulren

The Superior Court of New York City · decided 1869-06-15

<p>Cause of Action.—Negligence Respecting Excavation.—Variance of Proof.—Recovery for Cause not Alleged.</p> <p>The plaintiff in this action alleged in his complaint, that the defendant caused excavations to be made on a lot and the sidewalk in front -.thereof, in the city of New York, and negligently left the excavation ■without guards, whereby the plaintiff, lawfully passing by, fell and was ■injured. On the trial it was proved that the defendant was the contractor for building an edifice at the place in question, but did not make the excavation, nor occupy or use any part of the excavation, but that .he had “put up a pile of bricks in the street, the effect of which was to .darken the way, and that in the darkness plaintiff fell into the excavation ; and the judge charged the jury that they were to determine .whether the defendant occupied or used the excavation, and if he did, whether he neglected to put up guards and lights.—Held, that a gen- . eral motion to dismiss the complaint at the conclusion of this evidence, ■was not sufficient to enable the defendant to raise, upon appeal, the ] ■ objection that the proof; and a verdict for the plaintiff thereon, were ■not within the scope of, or sustained by the pleadings.</p> <p>Upon.the facts proved in this case, the liability of the defendant did not depend upon his occupancy or possession of the excavation. .</p>

Decided 1869-06-15

Jones J.

¶1One who, by an erection made by himself in a public highway, renders an excavation made on adjoining property by the owner thereof or his authority, more dangerous to those lawfully using the highway than it otherwise would be, is bound to use proper and reasonable precautions to protect those so using the highway from sustaining injury by falling (without negligence on their part), into the excavation, thus rendered more dangerous.

¶2A violation of this duty by the negligent omission of such precautions, subjects the violator to liability for damages at the suit of one who thereby, without contrib- ( utory negligence, sustains injuries.

¶3The uncontroverted facts in this case show that the defendant, by the erection of the pile of bricks in the street, rendered the excavation more dangerous to those using the street at night than it otherwise would have been.

¶4' The questions, as to whether defendant negligently omitted to put proper and reasonable safeguards about this excavation, as to whether plaintiff was guilty of negligence contributing to the injury, and as to the damages sustained by her, were submitted to the jury, who found in favor of the plaintiff upon sufficient evidence.

¶5I am aware that the defendant’s liability was not placed upon the above ground, either in the complaint or in the charge of the judge, and am also aware of the principle that a recovery should be secundum allegata, as well as probata (Rome Exchange Bank v. Eames, 1 Keyes, 588 ; Wright v. Delafield, 35 N. Y., 266 ; Code, §§ 171, 173).

¶6But the objection, that the cause of action proved, is not the cause of action alleged in the complaint, and that the cause of action alleged in the complaint is unproved in its entire scope and meaning, must be distinctly taken at the trial, in order to be available on appeal.

¶7The objection was not so taken in this case.

¶8The defendant moved to dismiss the complaint with*264out specifying any grounds, and on a denial of the motion an exception was taken. Such a motion is held by the court of appeals to be insufficient to enable the defendant to raise, on appeal, the objection in question (Belknap v. Sealey, 14 N. Y., 144 ; Rosebrooks v. Dinsmore, 5 Abb. Pr. N. S., 59 ; reversing 4 Robt.,672.

¶9The only other exception was to a refusal to charge “ that the defendant was not in the occupancy or possession of the excavation, and was therefore entitled to a verdict.”

¶10As his liability does not depend on his occupancy or possession of the excavation, it would have been error thus to charge.

¶11The exception does not point to the objection, that, although there may be some cause of action proved, yet it is not the one alleged in the complaint, and that the cause of action alleged in the complaint was wholly unproved in its entire scope and meaning, as the ground of the request to charge that defendant was entitled to a verdict. If the objection has been thus presented, non constat, but that the judge might have allowed a juror to be withdrawn, and permitted plaintiff to move at special term to amend her complaint!

¶12The only point raised by this exception" is, whether the proof sustains the ground upon which the judge at the trial placed the defendant’s liability. It is unnecessary, in the view taken by the general term, of the ground of defendant’s liability, to consider that point.

¶13Freedman, J., concurred.

¶14Monell, J., dissented.

¶15Judgment affirmed, with costs.

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