midpage

Blunt v. McCormickBlunt v. McCormick

New York Supreme Court
Oct 15, 1846
Reporters:
Before:
Beardsley
By the Court, Beardsley, J.

The rule of damages laid down by the court below was erroneous. In ‍‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‍this action the plaintiff” could only recover for injuries actually sustained before suit brought, and not for supposed prospective damages. Sup*284posing the lease to contain a covenant not to obstruct the light, ‍‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‍and the action to have been brought on such covenant, the rule of damages would be otherwise, for the covenant being a single cause of action, one recovery upon it would be an absolute ‍‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‍bar to any future action. But a recovery in an action on the case for obslructing‘the light prior to the time when the action was commenced, would not bar a future ‍‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‍suit for a continuance of the same injury. There is certainly room for a question whether any cause of action was proved in this case, but upon that no opinion is intended ‍‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​​​​​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‍to be expressed. The rule of damages was erroneous, and the judgment must be reversed.

Judgment reversed.

Case Details

Case Name: Blunt v. McCormick
Court Name: New York Supreme Court
Date Published: Oct 15, 1846
Citation: 3 Denio 283
Court Abbreviation: N.Y. Sup. Ct.
Log In