New York Court of Appeals, 1948

Hawkins v. County of Oneida

Hawkins v. County of Oneida
New York Court of Appeals · Decided April 22, 1948 · <italic>Per Curiam.</italic>
79 N.E.2d 458; 297 N.Y. 393; 1948 N.Y. LEXIS 847 (North Eastern Reporter, Second Series)

Hawkins v. County of Oneida

Opinion of the Court

Per Curiam.

An action against a county based upon a claim for damages arising out of a defective condition of a highway owing to the negligence of the county or its officers, including an action for wrongfully causing death, may be brought only under section 6 of the County Law. Plaintiff's failure to furnish the sort of notice and claim called for by that section is fatal to the institution of this action. The orders should be reversed, the complaint dismissed, and the question certified answered in the affirmative, with costs in all courts.

Lottghran, Ch. J., Desmond, Thachee and Ftjld, JJ., concur in Per Curiam opinion; Lewis, Conway and Dye, JJ., dissent on the ground that in death actions service of process in compliance with section 6 is not exclusive of the provisions of section 6-a.

Orders reversed, etc.

Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.