Case Name: The People of the State of New York ex rel. Paul A. Ajas, Appellant, v. The Department of Health of the City of New York, Respondent
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1910-05-26
Citations: 138 A.D. 559
Docket Number: 
Parties: The People of the State of New York ex rel. Paul A. Ajas, Appellant, v. The Department of Health of the City of New York, Respondent.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 138
Pages: 559–562

Head Matter:
The People of the State of New York ex rel. Paul A. Ajas, Appellant, v. The Department of Health of the City of New York, Respondent.
Second Department,
May 26, 1910.
Mandamus — procedure — alternative writ—respondent may demur or file return—failure to state facts — moving affidavits not considered — place of hearing — waiver — appeal.
An alternative writ of mandamus must state the facts constituting the grievance of which redress is sought.
Thé alternative writ may be met, either by demurrer raising an issue of law, or by a return raising an issue of fact, and upon joinder of either issue the proceedings are the same as in an action.
An alternative writ of mandamus brought to compel the board of health to abate a nuisance will be quashed where it states mere conclusions of law as to the existence of the nuisance and the grievance of the relator.
The insufficiency of such writ is not cured by facts stated in affidavits used on the application for the writ.
Where the writ is insufficient on its face the respondent should demur instead of filing a return; but the latter course does not waive substantive defects, and objection upon such ground may be taken at any time before the peremptory writ issues.
Where an alternative writ of mandamus is quashed for an insufficient statement of facts the order entered thereon is not a determination on the merits, but is analogous to a nonsuit in an action. It does not bar a new proceeding.
The respondent to an alternative writ of mandamus may waive his right to have a motion to quash the writ argued at a term of the Appellate Division, or at Special Term, by arguing the question without objection at the Trial Term, as the provisions as to the place of hearing relate merely to matters of procedure.
An appeal from a final order made upon an alternative writ of mandamus must be taken as an appeal from a judgment, and should not be placed upon the non-enumerated calendar.
Appeal by the relator, Paul A. Ajas, from an order of the Supreme Court, made at the Kings County Trial Term and entered in the office of the clerk of the county of Kings on the dth day of January, 1910, quashing an alternative writ of mandamus.
Otto Kempner \_Glarence Kempner with him on the. brief], for the appellant.
James D. Bell [Arokibald R, Watson with him on. the brief], for the respondent,

Opinion:
Burr, J.:
An. alternative writ of mandamus must contain a statement of the facts constituting the grievance to redress which it is issued. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2076; People ex rel. Post v. Ransom, 2 N. Y. 490.) It may be met either by a demurrer- raising an issue of law or a return raising an issue of fact. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2076, 2077; People ex rel. Ackerman v. Lumb, 6 App. Div. 27.) Except' as otherwise expressly prescribed in the Code of Civil Procedure, proceedings,, after issue is joined either upon the law or-upon the facts, are in all respects the same as in an action, and each provision of the Code relating to the proceedings in an action applies thereto, and for the purpos"e of the application the writ and the'return or the writ and the demurrer are deemed to be pleadings in an action. (Code Civ. Proc. 8 2082; People ex rel. Ryan v. Binqham, 114 App. Div. 1701)
The alternative writ issued in this proceeding states but three things : First, that the relator has complained to the Supreme Court against the maintenance of an ash and garbage dump and receiving station' on Ridgewood avenue between Woodbine and Madison streets, in the borough of Brooklyn ; second, that he has demanded of the board of health of the city, of New York that said ash and garbage dump and receiving station be declared a public nuisance, and that the same be abated; and, third, that the board of health has unjustly refused and still refuses to proceed against said ash and garbage dump and has failed to abate the said nuisance.
We are not called, upon to decide whether the relator has not wholly mistaken his remedy and whether, if a nuisance does exist, lie should not be compelled to institute proceedings against the party maintaining the same for an abatement thereof. It is enough for the present to say that the alternative writ fails to • state any facts as distinguished from conclusions of law from which the court, may determine whether a nuisance does exist and whether relator lias any grievance to be redressed. It is not sufficient that such facts may have been stated in the affidavits used in the application for the writ. They must appear in the writ itself. Instead of demurring to the writ, as would have been the better practice, a return was filed. This, however, does not waive substantive defects in the writ,- and objections to it upon sueh grounds may be raised at any time before a peremptory writ issues. (Code Civ. Proc. § 499, 2076; Commercial Bank of Albany v. Canal Comrs., 10 Wend. 25; People ex rel. Ryan v. Green, 58 N. Y. 295; People ex rel. Bacon v. Northern Central R. Co., 164 id. 289; People ex rel. Fogarty v. Cassidy, 118 App. Div. 693.)
This proceeding was brought to a hearing upon the writ and return in the Trial Term of the Supreme Court of Kings county, and after a jury had been sworn a motion was made to quash and set aside the writ upon the ground of the insufficiency thereof, which motion was granted, and from the order entered on such decision this appeal is taken.
The learned counsel for the appellant attacks this order upon the ground, first, that an alternative writ of mandamus cannot be quashed or set aside upon motion for any matter involving the merits. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2075.) The motion made to quash or set. aside the writ did not involve the merits, and the order entered thereon was no more an adjudication upon the merits than any judgment of nonsuit in an action. All that the determining part of the order did was to quash the writ. It did this because the writ did not contain a proper and sufficient statement of the facts constituting relator's grievance, if any, to entitle lnni to the redress sought. The order would not bar a new proceeding for the same relief if relator could state facts entitling him thereto.
The learned counsel for the appellant further claims that a motion to set aside an alternative writ of mandamus for any other cause than a matter involving the merits can only be made at a term whereat the writ might have been granted, to wit, at a term of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, or at a Special Term of the same court. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2068, 2069, 2075.) If the objection were otherwise well taken, it is a complete answer to it that it clearly appears that the relator and appellant waived any right which he might have had to insist that the motion should be made at a Special rather than' a Trial Term of the Supreme Court, and proceeded to argue and did argue the questions involved, without objection, in that branch of the court where the proceeding then was for hearing and determination. As the provision as to the place of hearing related simply to a matter of procedure, it was within his power to waive it. An appeal from a final order made upon an alternative mandamus must be taken as an appeal from a judgment. (Code Civ. Proc. § 2087.) This appeal should not have been placed upon the non-en.umerated calendar.
The final order appealed from should be affirmed, with, costs.
Hirschberg, P. J., J enks, Rich and Carr, JJ., concurred.
Final order affirmed, with costs.