Case Name: Errico Canonico, Respondent, v. The Cunard Steamship Co., Appellant
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Term
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1905-12
Citations: 49 Misc. 92
Docket Number: 
Parties: Errico Canonico, Respondent, v. The Cunard Steamship Co., Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: New York Miscellaneous Reports
Volume: 49
Pages: 92–94

Head Matter:
Errico Canonico, Respondent, v. The Cunard Steamship Co., Appellant.
(Supreme Court, Appellate Term,
December, 1905.)
Bill of particulars — How obtained — Motion papers — Sufficiency of affidavits.
In an action by a passenger to recover for non-delivery of his-trunk, given into the custody of a steamship company in Naples, Italy, a motion for a bill of particulars, based upon affidavits-of the defendant’s local attorney and its resident agent, neither of whom disclosed a knowledge of defendant’s course of business, abroad, and its ignorance of the matters as to which information was sought, is properly denied for insufficiency of the moving papers.
* Scott, J., dissented.
* Reargued February, 1906, and order denying defendant’s motion reversed.
Appeal by the defendant from an order of the City Court of the city of Eew York denying a motion for a bill of particulars.
Lord, Day & Lord (Darius E. Peck, of counsel), for appellant.
Rosario Maggio, for respondent.

Opinion:
MacLean, J.
In an action by a passenger to recover for losa through non-delivery of a trunk given into defendant company's custody, in LTaples, the defendant applied for a bill of particulars upon the affidavit of one of its local attorneys who asserted the practice of the client abroad and its ignorance of certain things, without showing he knew anything about the matter or had even been abroad. This was supplemented later by an. affidavit of the local agent who deposed to the same effect, perfunctorily, without intimating any acquaintance, or opportunity to become acquainted, with the company's business or practice in foreign parts. With captains and stewards and baggage masters. and the whole array of shipmen coming and going upon tho company's steamers plying to this port, during all the months-almost a year and a half, while this action was not merely at issue but even upon the calendar, surely persons-a-plenty might have been found who could depose from actual knowledge of the conditions and practice, if material, at the Neapolitan dock, not unlikely, too, of the very occurrences while the Slavonia lay abreast and so supply sufficient papers for the application rightly denied by the learned justice because of its insufficiency.
The order should be affirmed.
Bischoee, J., concurs.