Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-09-23
MILLIONS DEMANDED.
Damage Suits Brought Against
the City of New York.
Five Cents on the Dollar Is the Aver
age Payment Received by the
Petition oners-Basis of Some
of the Claims.

Five Gents on the DOtiar Is the aver
age Payment Received by the
Petitioners-Basis of some
| of the Claims.
Claims filed against the city of New
York for damages, some real, some
exaggerated and some fictitious,
amount in the year on the average to
s5,00O,0O0. There is practically no
subject of claim upon which a demand
for pecuniary compensation can be
based which has not at some time
been urged against the city, and some
of these claims as filed present
somewhat grotesque character. Ihe
law provides that any, person having,
or claiming to have, a just cause OF
action against the city, or valid
claim against 1t, must. file it in writ
ing with the comptroller. The law
gives the comptroller 30 days for ex-
animation into any claim thus filed,
and no proceedings for its collection
can be taken until the expiration of
that period Then, if no determina-
tion of the matter is reached. the
claimant brings "A suit. the defense
of which, for the city, devolves upon
the corporation counsel says the New
York Sun.
Some of the claimants against the
city ask no more than reasonable re-
muneration for the damages they
have suffered, or the disabilities they
have been put under, but much
larger number interpose eXtravagant
: claims under the theory that the
larger the demand the easier the con-
cession of smaller sum--thus one
claim filed last month with the comp
troller was for $1,000 and the form
of it follows:
Damages for personal injuries re-
' ceived by the claimant while stand
ing on the corner of South and Clin-
ton streets, in the borough of Man
haitian"
The personal injuries complained OF
were ascribed to the negligence of the
E driver of cart in the street cleaning
department, the cart colliding with
the claimant.
Another claim was for $4,000:
Damages for personal injuries re
sulting from fall on the sidewalk
{ at the intersection of Eighth avenue
4 and Thirty-frst street"
e Another was for 100000 sought by
. complainant for damages for "per
IS sonal injuries received by claiman
II while walking along Fulton street. il
the borough OF Brooklyn" IT wa
!. contended that the injuries suffered
arose from the defective condition o
the sidewalk of Fulton street. Cou
pied with this claim. filed at the sam
time, was another for $4,000 by tn
husband of the claimant. who de
manded that sum from the city "a
damage for the loss of services am
assistance of his wife due to the per
sonal injuries suffered aforesaid"
Another suit filed at almost tn
same time was for $4,000 for injurie
suffered in falling down an unguarde
! embankment. and in winter time tn
- number of such damage suits is great
er than during the summer in conse
quence of the accidents arising O
the sidewalks from which snow an
ice have not been removed. The cit
accepts notice through the comp
troller of all such suits impartiallN
He takes usually no action upon theI
until a suit is brought and then tn
matter comes up for settlement bs
tween the representatives OF the cit
and counsel of the claimant. If a
= agreement can be reached, usual
/ through large concession of tn
J amount claimed. II judgment for sue
sum is entered by consent against tn
city. If, as is more frequently tn
- case. no such mutual agreement ca
be reached, the matter is brought b,
fore jury and its determination is
record of judgment against the cit
If the complainant wins. That til
city does not always lose is shown b
the fact that the costs collected b
the corporation counsel's office. man
of them paid by claimants against th
city, amount to about $1,000 "a yea
They are turned into the city trea
ury.
Although the aggregate amount {
claims against the city is $5,o00,0t
on the average each year. the onl
provision for the payment of sue
claims is the appropriation for ''iud!
ments." This appropriation for tn
year is $250,0O0, so that the basis {
settlement with claimants is at I'll
rate of about five cents on the dolli
five cents for every dollar elaine
as damages.