Whalon v. Sewerage & Water Board
Whalon v. Sewerage & Water Board
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff sued the city of New Orleans and the sewerage and water board, praying for judgment against them in solido for $25,000 damages, for personal injuries which she alleged she had suffered by stumbling and falling upon a broken and uneven sidewalk.
The pavement had been taken up by the sewerage and water board to lay pipes under the sidewalk. When the pipes were laid and the trench filled, the ground was not properly packed before the brick pavement was relaid. The consequence was that the cement seams between the bricks cracked, and the sidewalk became very uneven and unsafe to walk upon at night. It was at night that the plaintiff fell and was hurt.
Judgment was rendered against the city of New Orleans for $2,000, and in the same judgment the plaintiff’s demand against the sewerage and water board was rejected. The city alone appealed. In answer to the appeal the plaintiff prays that judgment be rendered also against the sewerage and water board, and that the amount of the judgment be increased to the sum sued for.
The defenses urged by the city of New Orleans are: First, that the city is not responsible for the neglect of the sewerage and water board to replace the pavement in a safe condition; and, second, that the plaintiff was aware of the unsafe condition of the sidewalk, and could have avoided the danger with ordinary prudence.
The judgment appealed from is annulled, and the plaintiff’s demand is rejected at her cost.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- WHALON v. SEWERAGE & WATER BOARD
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- (Syllabus by the Court.) 1. Appeal and Error In an action for a judgment against two defendants in solido, if neither praj's for a judgment against the other in warranty or indemnity, and judgment is rendered in favor of one and against the other defendant, and the latter alone appeals, the defendant in whose favor the judgment was rendered is not an appellee in the case, and no judgment can be rendered against him on appeal. The only remedy the plaintiff has, in such case, to reverse the judgment rendered in favor of the one defendant is by an appeal from the judgment. Answering the appeal taken by the other defendant will not serve the purpose. 2. Municipal Corporations A municipal corporation is not liable for personal injuries suffered by a pedestrian stumbling and falling on a broken and unsafe sidewalk when the evidence shows that the plaintiff was aware of the unsafe condition of the sidewalk before the accident, and could have avoided the danger with ordinary care.