Court Opinion

ID: 9445319
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-03 21:24:56.117713+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:30:12.280785
License: Public Domain

DANAHER, Circuit Judge
(dissenting).
Judge BAZELON has demonstrated that the record is barren of proof of the notice contemplated by the statute. He might have added that due to a geographical anomaly caused by playgrounds and off-set intersections, there are no less than six different locations which answered to the description, “corner of sixth and L Streets southeast” as the situs of the alleged defect. I agree otherwise with his observations except that I dissociate myself from the suggestion that the McDonald case was incorrectly decided. I think the McDonald result is commanded by the statute, and there are real reasons why that is so.
First is the need to protect against false or unjustified claims, for unfortunately, there are some claimants who are strangers to the truth where a dollar is involved. So, Congress requires that the notice shall supply information as to the “approximate time, place, cause and circumstances” of the alleged injury. Next, as Congress says, the prescribed timely notice shall be given to the Commissioners even as to valid claims, for the District is entitled to a reasonable opportunity to prepare a proper defense to all claims, valid or invalid. The courts shall not be open to a non-complying claimant unless the required information, in writing, shall be supplied in behalf of the claimant or by the police “in regular course of duty.” Under the circumstances, the statutory notice is by no means an “idle formality,” as I read the Code and understand its purpose.
If Circuit Judge WASHINGTON’S opinion is correct, it makes no difference whether the notice be given to the Highway Department,* or any other department, so long as the “District” or unnamed “officials of the District” learn, somehow, of the claim and the location of the area where a defect is said to exist. Circuit Judge Washington’s opinion says that so long as the District can prepare its defense, it is “most unreasonable” to require a sufficient notice. Such reasoning would sustain any claim, whether in writing or not, no matter what the source of the District’s information, no matter who in the District gets the information, no matter when the suit is brought. Such is the end result of the logic employed. I *33do not understand it to be our function to fix policy and to say what is “reasonable,” be it more or less reasonable.
Congress has clearly and expressly spoken otherwise. The matter of an opportunity to prepare a defense is only part of the statutory scheme. Of course Congress knows that the District has a Corporation Counsel who defends lawsuits, but Congress did not authorize the filing of the prescribed notices with the Corporation Counsel. The Commissioners are the government of the District of Columbia. Congressional appropriations for the maintenance of the District are to be expended under the eye of the Commissioners. When notices are filed or police reports are submitted as the law requires, the Commissioners become charged with knowledge of the information so supplied. Since Congress has seen fit to hold the Commissioners responsible, notice to them has been required that they, in turn, may perform their proper function of supervising, or of inquiring into, the work performance of those lesser officials whose duty it is to keep in reasonably safe condition those areas of the District which the latter should maintain.
The McDonald rule may seem harsh when its effect has been to deny relief where some District officials from some source, have had actual knowledge of the location of the defect complained of and have not been misled by an inadequate or incorrectly directed claim. It seems to me that Congress might be asked to relax the rigors of its present statute by providing that where the District has actual and timely notice of the circumstances out of which the claim arose and is sufficiently informed to prepare its proper defense, no more need be demanded.
But, in my view, it does not lie properly within the power of the court to impose less burdensome conditions to be met than Congress has deemed should be met. The Congress has not said that the District may be liable for an injury if it has actual knowledge of the time, place and circumstances, regardless of the form of notice or where the claim is filed, or how the District may have acquired such knowledge. Since Congress has not said that much, the court should not say so. Does any one suggest that it is for us to say that the notice of claim may be filed in 24 months instead of the six months limited by the statute, or that claims for injuries due to snow and ice should realistically be filed within 10 days instead of six months ?
We need not cite statutes in other jurisdictions where statutory notice requirements have been relaxed when actual notice is shown. I mention one, however, where the legislature, when confronted with the problem, amended its notice statute by adding the following:
“No notice given under the provisions of this section shall be held invalid or insufficient by reason of an inaccuracy in describing the injury, or in stating the time, place or cause of its occurrence if it shall appear that there was no intention to mislead or that such [municipal corporation] * * * was not in fact misled thereby.” 1
It is not to be doubted that Congress will in the light of hardship cases consider the problem if brought to its notice. It might also think it wise to amend further to permit a special period, say of one year, within which in instances where it can be shown the District had actual knowledge, any action which accidentally failed to survive the McDonald case, might be revived and reopened, or might be brought if not previously commenced because of the McDonald ruling.
I have respectfully submitted the foregoing since such amendments will more nearly achieve complete justice than is possible under the statute as presently written. Rather than the court, I think Congress should pronounce the rule under which a remedy may be sought where the District’s liability is limited by a section of our Code.

 In considering the problem, it should be realized that there are more than 3,000 miles of streets in the District of Columbia.

. See Conn.Gen.Stat. § 2126, Rev.1949.