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Noyes v. City Council

George H. Noyes v. City Council of Springfield

Noyes v. City Council, 116 Mass. 87 (1874)
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Court
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · State Highest Courts
Decided
October 22, 1874
Judges
Gray
Citations
116 Mass. 871874 Mass. LEXIS 26
Headnotes
A writ of certiorari to quash am order of a city council, altering the grade of a highway at a railroad crossing, and awarding damages to the abutters, passed pending proceedings before the county commissioners for the same object; will not be granted upon a petition filed by an abutter after the work under the order has been, with his knowledge, commenced and prosecuted for more than a month and nearly to completion
Summary
Petition filed August 31, 1874, for a writ of certiorari, to quash an order of the city council of Springfield, passed July 20, 1874, lowering the grade of Chestnut Street at and near the crossing of the same by the Boston and Albany Railroad, and awarding damages to the abutters, of whom the petitioner was one. The case was heard and reserved with that of Powers, ante, 84, and was substantially like that case, except that the only hearing upon the question of the assessment of damages, notice of which was served upon the petitioner, was before the board of public works, and prior to the order passed by the city council on the report of that board; that the city began to cut down Chestnut Street on July 29, and on September 2, when this petition was served, had removed eleven thousand cubic yards of earth, being about eleven thirteenths of the whole amount which would have been removed in completing the work called for by the order of the city council; that it would cost $5500 to replace the street in the condition in which it was before the work was begun; and that the petitioner knew of the commencement and progress of the work.

Syllabus and headnotes are prepared by the reporter or publisher, not the court, and are not part of the opinion.

Opinion of the Court — Gray

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Gray, C. J.

This case differs from that of Powers v. City Council of Springfield, ante, 84, in an essential point. The order of the city council, lowering the grade of Chestnut Street, was not void, but voidable only, and cannot be avoided except by writ of certiorari, and upon the petition of a party entitled to relief. It appears by the report of the justice of this court before whom the case was heard, that this petitioner, with full knowledge of the proceedings before the city council and its order thereon, has allowed the work to proceed under that order so far, that it has been nearly completed, and the street cannot be restored to its original condition without the expenditure of a large sum of money. His petition for a writ of certiorari to quash that order, being addressed to the discretion of the court, should not therefore be granted. Whately v. County Commissioners, 1 Met. 336 . Eaton v. County Commissioners, 7 Gray, 109 , 112. Pickford v. Mayor & Aldermen of Lynn, 98 Mass. 491 . Petition dismissed.

How later courts describe this case

No later court has written an explanatory parenthetical about this case yet.

Cited by 15 cases

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1875–1876: 21879–1880: 11885–1886: 11895–1896: 11897–1898: 21899–1900: 11913–1914: 11917–1918: 21923–1924: 11929–1930: 11931–1932: 11975–1976: 118752026peak 1875 · 2

Relies on it most ⓘ

  1. Byfield v. City of Newton141 N.E. 658 (Mass. 1923)
  2. Barnes v. City of Springfield168 N.E. 78 (Mass. 1929)
  3. Boody v. Watson9 A. 794 (N.H. 1886)
  4. Dealtry v. Selectmen of Watertown180 N.E. 621 (Mass. 1932)
  5. State ex rel. Schintgen v. Mayor of La Crosse77 N.W. 167 (Wis. 1898)
  6. Atkinson v. City Council of Newton47 N.E. 1029 (Mass. 1897)

Most recent

  1. Police Commissioner v. Municipal Court of the West Roxbury District332 N.E.2d 901 (Mass. 1975)
  2. Dealtry v. Selectmen of Watertown180 N.E. 621 (Mass. 1932)
  3. Barnes v. City of Springfield168 N.E. 78 (Mass. 1929)
  4. Byfield v. City of Newton141 N.E. 658 (Mass. 1923)
  5. Howland v. Inhabitants of Greenfield120 N.E. 394 (Mass. 1918)
  6. Andres v. Justices of the Municipal Court114 N.E. 666 (Mass. 1917)

Citing references are not a citator: they show that a later opinion cites this case, not whether it followed, distinguished, or overruled it. Check negative history before relying on this case.

Authorities cited 2

DepthCaseCited by
Cabell v. Cabell's Adm'r, 58 Ky. 319 (1858) 25
Pickford v. Mayor & Aldermen of Lynn, 98 Mass. 491 (1868) 18

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