Case Name: Thomas Russell, Appellant, against Michael Giblin, Respondent
Court: New York Court of Common Pleas
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1890-06-02
Citations: 16 Daly (N.Y.) 258
Docket Number: 
Parties: Thomas Russell, Appellant, against Michael Giblin, Respondent.
Judges: 
Reporter: Daly's Common Pleas Reports
Volume: 16
Pages: 258–261

Head Matter:
Thomas Russell, Appellant, against Michael Giblin, Respondent.
(Decided June 2d, 1890.)
A lease contained a covenant by the lessor to furnish the lessee with “ six-horse steam power and live steam daily, as required,” for the business of book-binding, to be carried on by the lessee on the demised premises. Meld, that the lessee could not recover thereon, as damages by reason of insufficiency in the supply of steam, the value of materials rendered worthless by using his stamping-machines when the steam supply was inadequate ; nor the amount of wages paid to employes when forced to remain idle for the same reason; it not appearing that he made any effort to supply the steam himself, or that he was prevented from filling any contracts for book-binding.
Appeal from a judgment of the General Term of the City Court of New York affirming a judgment of that court entered on .the verdict of a jury and an order denying a motion for a new trial.
The action was brought by a lessee to recover from his lessor damages for breach of a covenant in the lease. At the trial the jury found a verdict for plaintiff for six cents damages. A motion by plaintiff for a new trial was denied, and judgment was entered on the verdict. From the judgment and the order denying his motion for a new trial, plaintiff appealed to the General Term of the City Court, which affirmed the judgment and order; and from that decision plaintiff appealed to this court.
William J. Lynch, for appellant.
<7. JE. Souther, for respondent.

Opinion:
Larremore, Ch. J.
Defendant leased certain premises to plaintiff and covenanted to also furnish him with " six horse steam power and live steam daily, as required, from 7.30 o'clock a. m. until 6 o'clock p. m., for the general business of bookbinding, to be carried on by the plaintiff in said premises." Plaintiff alleges that, owing to the insufficient steam power and live steam furnished, he was unable to keep his employes continually at work, and further, that, by reason of such insufficient service, his stamping machines were not properly heated, and that much of the book-binding he attempted to do was performed in an inferior manner and represents a loss. The action is for damages; and a bill of particulars was served in which, as in the complaint, the two items declared upon for recovery are, first, the value of the materials destroyed and rendered worthless through the use of the stamping machines when the steam supply was inadequate, and second, the aggregate amount paid to employes for wages, as estimated, for hours when they were forced, to remain idle.
The first of such grounds may be briefly disposed of. Plaintiff himself was the judge of when his stamping machines were sufficiently supplied with steam to attempt to work with them. Certainly it was not permissible for him to proceed when the proper conditions for operating the apparatus did not exist, and thus spoil good materials for the sake of creating damages. His own deliberate action was a more influential factor in said damages than defendant's neglect; and no right of action, therefore, could accrue to the plaintiff therefrom (Manhattan Stamping Works v. Koehler, 45 Hun 150).
In the case cited there was also raised the question of the right to recover because employes did not work full time by reason of insufficient supply of power. It was said in the opinion (p. 152) : " The facts sought to be proved as to the allegation that the workmen did less work are of an equally uncertain character conjective, and must be included in the damages recoverable as laid down in the cases cited."
If this means that the wages a man pays his employes are, as far as the outside world is concerned, to be considered as included in and constituting an increment of the total cost of the commodity manufactured, I concur in such view. I can find no principle of law which would authorize the charging of the amount of wages directly to defendant as damages. Plaintiff, it seems to me, might with equal show of reason endeavor to recover, by way of damages, a proportionate share of his other regular business expenses; rent, for instance. The property was hired only for business purposes. If in any week he is unable to carry on his business for two-tenths of the time he wishes to prosecute it, why should he not demand damages for two-tenths of the rent of that week, in addition to two-tenths of the hiring price of labor ? The general rule as to damages is that they must be such as would " fairly be supposed- to be within the contemplation of the parties when they made the contractthey must be such as might naturally be expected to follow its violation, and they must be certain both in their nature and in respect to the cause from which they proceed " (Manhattan Stamping Works v. Koehler, supra ; Griffin v. Colver, 16 N. Y. 489; Cassidy v. Lefevre, 45 N. Y. 562).
It is not within the policy of the law to assess damages according to the principle for which plaintiff now contends. The possible total accruing might be far beyond the fair contemplation of the parties. Plaintiff might have supplied the necessary power himself and have charged defendant with the cost thereof, or he might have recovered the difference in value between the steam contracted for and that actually furnished. It is also quite possible that a third alternative was open to him under some of the later authorities, and particularly under the doctrine advanced in Wakeman v. Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Co. (101 N. Y. 205). If it could be shown that plaintiff made a fair effort to supply the steam himself and was unable to do so, and it were further proved that he was actually prevented from filling, either in whole or in part, certain contracts which he had for the binding of books, an action for damages might have been maintained to recover the profits that he would have realised from such work which he was prevented from performing. The case last cited holds in effect that prospective profits may be recovered when they are reasonably certain, and I think the ob jection of uncertainty as to damages would be obviated by the existence of definite contracts to be filled. The practical difficulty, of course, in a case of this character, would be to ascertain how much of the contract selling price of the manufactured articles stood for profits. Most of the cases in the books involving the question of prospective profits relate to articles not to be manufactured, but to be purchased by the plaintiff, and the prospective profit was easily ascertainable by taking the difference between the agreed purchase price and the contract selling price. Still, I do not think that this difficulty would be insuperable in a case like this ; and such measure of damages, if it could be practically applied, would be tlie most natural and equitable one, and the one presumably within the fair contemplation of the parties at the time of the making of the lease. It is clear, however, that plaintiff's present theory of action is untenable, and the judgment appealed from should be affirmed, with costs.
Bookstav.ee, J., concurred.
Judgment affirmed, with costs.