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98 Mass. 577

Corrigan v. Union Sugar Refinery

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Decided January 15, 1868

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · decided 1868-01-15

Toet for an injury sustained by the plaintiff by negligence of the defendants’ servant.

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“Even if he was there under a permission which they might at any time revoke, and under circumstances which did not make them responsible for any defect in the existing condition of the way, they were still liable for any negligent act of themselves or their servants which increased the danger of passing and in fact injured him.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Brigman v. . Construction Co.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1868-01-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 25 later decisions — most recently December 1986 · most notably Massaletti v. Fitzroy (1917), Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Means (1914)

1 federal appellate · 23 state decisions — followed in 12 states

701868187018801890190019101920193019401950196019701980decided

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 →

Gray, J.

¶1It is unnecessary in this case to consider whether, upon the facts offered to be proved, the way over the defendants’ *578land, where the plaintiff received the injury sued for, was a public way; or whether, if it was not a public way, the defendants had so held it out as such, or otherwise induced the plaintiff to pass over it, as to make them responsible to him for any hole or defect therein, within the rule discussed in Sweeny v. Old Colony Railroad Co. 10 Allen, 368, and Gautret v. Egerton, Law Rep. 2 C. P. 371, cited for the defendants. The material question is, whether the keg fell upon the plaintiff’s head by reason of the negligence of the defendants’ servants. If it did, then, whether this was a public or a private way, and whether the plaintiff was passing over it in the exercise of a public right, or upon an express or implied invitation or inducement of the defendants, or by their mere permission, he was rightfully there, and may maintain this action. Even if he was there under a permission which they might at any time revoke, and under circumstances which did not make them responsible for any defect in the existing condition of the way, they were still liable for any negligent act of themselves or their servants, which increased the danger of passing and in fact injured him. Gallagher v. Humphrey, 6 Law Times, (N. S.) 684. Sullivan v. Waters, 14 Irish C. L. 474. Indermaur v. Dames, Law Rep. 1 C. P. 274. Byrne v. Boadle, 2 H. & C. 722. Stewart v. Harvard College, 12 Allen, 67.

¶2Case to stand for trial.

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