Case ID: ad_149/html/0828-01.html
Source: Caselaw Access Project
Author: {"author": "Woodward, J.:", "license": "Public Domain", "url": "https://static.case.law/"}
Date Created: 2024-08-24T03:29:51.129683

Frederick M. Voorhees, as Administrator, etc., of Frederick M. Voorhees, Jr., Deceased, Appellant, v. Peter J. Collins, Superintendent of Buildings of the Borough of Brooklyn, Respondent.
    Second Department,
    March 8, 1912.
    Municipal corporations — negligence — injury by fall of floor — when superintendent of buildings not personally liable — obligation to appoint subordinates from civil service list.
    As the superintendent of buildings in the city of New York is bound, to appoint inspectors of buildings certified as competent by the civil service commission, he is not personally liable for a death caused by the fall of a floor on the theory that he was negligent in not properly inspecting the budding, where it does not appear that he had any reason to believe that his subordinates were incompetent.
    Appeal by the plaintiff, Frederick M. Voorhees, as administrator, etc., from a judgment of the Supreme Court in favor of the defendant, entered in the office of the clerk of the county of Kings on the 24th day of December, 1910, upon the dismissal of the complaint by direction of the court at the close of plaintiff’s case on a trial at the Kings County Trial Term.
    
      Alfred C. Cowan, for the appellant.
    
      James D. Bell [Patrick E. Callahan with him on the brief], for the respondent.
   Woodward, J.:

Plaintiff’s intestate was killed by the falling of a floor in the Fleet Street African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in the borough of Brooklyn on the 27th day of February, 1905. This action is brought against Peter J. Collins, superintendent of buildings, on the theory that the accident was due to the neglect of the said Collins in not seeing that the building was properly inspected prior to the accident. The evidence might be sufficient to establish that the floor fell by reason of the breaking of a supporting girder upon which the floor beams rested, but it is doubtful if there was sufficient evidence to justify the jury in finding that there was any defect in the timber at the point where it broke, or that any amount of inspection would have discovered the weakness. However this may be, we think it is obvious that the superintendent of buildings does not assume the liabilities of an insurer of all the buildings in the borough of Brooklyn on entering the office in that borough. No provision of law requires him to have personal knowledge of the condition of buildings owned and occupied by third persons or corporations. The charter required bim to appoint inspectors of buildings. (See Laws of 1901, chap. 466, § 406.) He was required to appoint these from among those whom the civil service commission had certified to be competent and eligible for that position. He could not use his unrestricted choice in making his selection of inspectors. He was bound to assume that the men furnished to him by the civil service commission for his selection were competent, and no facts are proven by which it is made to appear that they were incompetent, or that the defendant had any reason to believe that they were incompetent. Under such circumstances the defendant is clearly not liable to the plaintiff. (McGuinness v. Allison Realty Co., 46 Misc. Rep. 8, 12, and authorities there cited; affd., 111 App. Div. 926.)

The judgment appealed from should be affirmed, with costs.

Present — Jerks, P. J., Burr, Thomas, Oarr and Woodward, JJ.

Judgment unanimously affirmed, with costs.