49 A.D.2d 641 | N.Y. App. Div. | 1975
Appeal from an order of the Court of Claims, entered September 25, 1970, which granted summary judgment in favor of the claimant on the first of three causes of action in its claim, severed the claim, reserving the issues in the second and third causes of action, and denied the State’s cross motion for summary judgment dismissing the claim. The salient issue in this case is whether, pursuant to subdivision 5 of former section 340-b and subdivision 3.3 of former section 349-c of the Highway Law, the extent to which the State must reimburse the claimant for interest moneys paid by the claimant to owners of properties taken for interstate highways is limited to a period of one year. The Court of Claims has found that no such restriction exists (see City of New York r State of New York, 61 Misc 2d 517-534) and the State appeals this decision. Subdivision 5 of section 340-b provides in pertinent part that the city "shall be reimbursed in full for the costs and expenses” incurred by it in connection with acquisitions made by it for the construction of interstate highways. It further provides, however, that such reimbursement will be made "in the manner as provided in section three hundred forty-nine-c” which in turn, in subdivision 3.3, provides in part that interest paid by claimant as part of a condemnation award shall be reimbursed by the State "(provided that such interest period shall in no event exceed one year in duration from the date of vesting of title).” The Court of Claims relied heavily on the fact that subdivision 5 of section 340-b, enacted to enable the receipt of benefits from the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (70 US Stat 374), provides for reimbursement "in full” (see NY Legis Ann, 1957, pp 510-511) and construed that the "in the manner as provided by” language in subdivision 5 of section 340-b referred solely to the procedural machinery described in subdivision 3.3 of section 349-c; that is, the process of securing the. various certifications