Shiels v. Wortmann
Shiels v. Wortmann
Opinion of the Court
—The facts of this case were such that the court below, in the exercise of its discretion, could have granted or refused an extra allowance to the defendants. They made a motion at a special term for an extra allowance, and it was denied upon the ground that the action was not diffi
We have many times decided that this, court has no jurisdiction to review the discretion of the court below in granting an extra allowance where no rule of law is violated, or in refusing an extra allowance unless such refusal has been based upon a want of authority, thus presenting a question of law.
It does not appear upon what ground the order appealed from was based. If the judges composing the general term, after deciding upon the prior appeal that the defendants were entitled to an extra allowance, upon the subsequent appeal changed their minds, and concluded that no extra allowance should be made, we know of no reason why they could not do so without subjecting their conclusion to review in this court. Having once decided that the defendants were entitled to an extra allowance, they could have granted a reargument and changed their decision. But having ordered the motion to be heard at special term, when it came before them the second time, they could in the exercise of their discretion reach a different conclusion from that which they had come to upon the prior appeal; and in holding that the defendants were entitled to no extra allowance they were exercising a discretion which cannot be reviewed in this court.
But it is more probable that upon the last appeal the judges of the general term came to the conclusion that the extra allowance granted at the special term was too large,
The application should be dismissed, with costs.
All concur, except Gray, J., absent.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.