Case Name: GENTILE v. NEW YORK CITY RY. CO.
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Term
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1905-02-23
Citations: 92 N.Y.S. 264
Docket Number: 
Parties: GENTILE v. NEW YORK CITY RY. CO.
Judges: 
Reporter: West's New York Supplement
Volume: 92
Pages: 264–265

Head Matter:
GENTILE v. NEW YORK CITY RY. CO.
(Supreme Court, Appellate Term.
February 23, 1905.)
Street Railroads — Injury to Pedestrian — Negligence — Contributory
Negligence—Burden of Proof.
Evidence in an action by a pedestrian against a street railway company for injuries sustained in a collision with a street car considered, and held insufficient to sustain the burden on plaintiff of proving negligence on the company’s part and of proving himself free from contributory' negligence.
Giegerich, J., dissenting.
Appeal from Municipal Court, Borough of Manhattan, Third District.
Action by Angelo Gentile aginst the New York City Railway Company. From a judgment for plaintiff, defendant appeals. Reversed.
Argued before SCOTT, GIEGERICH, and McCALL, JJ.
William E. Weaver, for appellant.
G. J. Gindici, for respondent.

Opinion:
McCALL, J.
We fail to find in this record the slightest proof to support the claim or allegation of negligence on the part of the defendant, unless we are willing to assume that the mere happening of the accident implies negligence. The burden that the law imposes upon the plaintiff of sustaining by a preponderance of credible proof plaintiff's assertion of negligence on the part of defendant, and of likewise proving himself free from contributory negligence, he has, in so far as we read this rec ord, utterly failed to sustain, and the judgment rendered herein cannot, therefore, be upheld, and must be reversed, with costs.
Judgment reversed, and new trial ordered, with costs to the appellant to abide the event.
SCOTT, J., concurs.