CHAPTER XIX. Courts of Justices of the Peace, and Proceedings Therein. TITLE I. Jurisdiction and General Powers. TITLE II. Commencement of Action; Appearance of Parties; Provisional Remedies. TITLE III.- Pleadings; Including Counterclaims, and Proceedings upon TITLE IV. Proceedings Between the Joinder of Issue and the Trial. TITLE VI.- Judgment; and Docketing the Same. TITLE VII.- Executions. TITLE VIII.-Appeals. TITLE IX.- Costs. TITLE X.- Action or Special Proceeding, Relating to an Animal Straying upon the Highway. TITLE XI.- Provisions Specially Relating to Courts of Justices of the Peace in the City of Brooklyn. TITLE XII.- Miscellaneous Provisions. TITLE I. Jurisdiction and general powers. Sec. 2861. Justice's jurisdiction must be specially conferred by law. 2862. General civil jurisdiction. 2863. No jurisdiction in certain cases. 2864. Confession of judgment. 2865. Actions by and against officers, etc.; and by executors, etc. 2867. Members of legislature not compelled to act. 2868. Justices to hold courts; general powers. 2869. In what town, etc., action must be brought. 2870. Criminal contempt. 2871. Id.; how punished. 2872. Offender to be heard. 2873. Record of conviction. 2874. Requisites of commitment. 2875. Fine to be paid to overseer or superintendent of the poor. § 2861. Justice's jurisdiction must be specially conferred by law. A justice of the peace has such jurisdiction in civil actions and special proceedings, as is specially conferred upon him by statute, and no other. See Co. Proc., § 53. § 2862. [Am'd, 1896, 1906.] General civil jurisdiction. Except as otherwise prescribed in the next section, a justice of the peace has jurisdiction of the following civil actions: 1. An action to recover damages upon or for breach of a contract, express or implied, other than a promise to marry, where the sum claimed does not exceed two hundred dollars. 2. An action to recover damages for a personal injury, or an injury to property, where the sum claimed does not exceed two hundred dollars. 3. An action for a fine or penalty, not exceeding two hundred dollars. 4. An action upon a bond conditioned for the payment of money, where the sum claimed to be due does not exceed two hundred dollars; the judgment to be rendered for the sum actually due. Where the sum secured by the bond is to be paid in instalments, an action may be brought for each instalment, as it becomes due. 5. An action upon a surety bond, taken, by any justice of the peace. 6. [Am'd, 1906.] An action upon a judgment, either foreign or domestic rendered in any inferior court, not of record, where the sum claimed does not exceed two hundred dollars. An action upon a judgment, foreign or domestic rendered in a court of record, where the sum claimed does not exceed fifty dollars. L. 1906, ch. 246. In effect Sept. 1, 1906. 7. An action to recover one or more chattels, with or without damages for the taking, withholding, or detention thereof, where the value of the chattel, or of all the chattels, as stated in the affidavit made on the part of the plaintiff, does not exceed two hundred dollars. 8. An action to recover damages for an escape from the jail liberties, as provided by chapter two, title two, articles four and five of this act, where the sum claimed does not exceed fifty dollars. Co. Proc. § 53, am'd. Subd. 8 added, L. 1896, ch. 303. § 2863. [Am'd, 1882, 1895.] No jurisdiction in certain cases. But a justice of the peace cannot take cognizance of a civil action, in either of the following cases: 1. Where the people of the State are a party, except for one or more fines or penalties not exceeding two hundred dollars. 2. Where the title to real property comes in question, as prescribed in title third of this chapter. 3. Where the action is to recover damages for an assault, battery, false imprisonment, libel, slander, criminal conversation, seduction, or malicious prosecution, or where it is brought under sections eighteen hundred and thirty-seven, eighteen hundred and forty-three, eighteen hundred and sixty-eight, nineteen hundred and two, or nineteen hundred and sixty-nine of this act. 4. Where, in a matter of account, the sum total of the accounts of both parties proved to the satisfaction of the justice, exceeds four hundred dollars. 5. Where the action is brought against an executor or administrator as such, except where the amount of the claim is less than the sum of fifty dollars, and the claim has been duly presented to the executor or administrator and rejected by him. Id., § 54; L. 1895, ch. 527. § 2864. Confession of judgment. A justice of the peace has also jurisdiction to render judgment, upon the confession of a defendant, as prescribed in title sixth of this chapter, where the sum confessed does not exceed five hundred dollars. Id., § 53, subd. 8. § 2865. [Am'd, 1882.] Actions by and against officers, etc.; and by executors, etc. An action, cognizable by a justice of the peace, may be brought by or against a corporation; by or against a natural person in his own right; by or against a town or county officer in his official character; or by an executor or administrator, trustee of an express trust, or a receiver in supplementary proceedings. 2 R. S. 226, § 5 (2 Edm. 241); L. 1847, ch. 470, § 45 (4 Edm. 589). § 2866. Tavern-keepers disqualified. A justice of the peace who is an innholder or tavern-keeper in fact, has no power or jurisdiction under any provision of this chapter; but if a judgment has been actually rendered by him, before he became so disqualified, he may give a transcript thereof, or issue execution thereupon, or satisfy the judgment, upon payment thereof. L. 1847, ch. 140 (4 Edm. 548). § 2867. Members of legislature not compelled to act. A justice of the peace, who is a member of the senate or assembly, is not obliged to take cognizance of a civil action or special proceeding; but he may take cognizance thereof, in his discretion. 2 R. S. 226, § 7 (2 Edm. 242), am'd. § 2868. [Am'd, 1897, 1899.] Justices to hold court; general powers. A justice of the peace must hold, within his town or city, a court for the trial of any action or special proceeding, of which he has jurisdiction, brought before him; but such a court shall not be held in a room in any part of which trafficking in liquors is authorized or in any adjoining room. He must hear, try and determine the same according to law and equity, and for that purpose, where special provision is not otherwise made by law, the court is vested with all the necessary powers possessed by the supreme court. Id., § 1, am'd; L. 1897, ch. 404; L. 1899, ch. 105. In effect Sept. 1, 1899. § 2869. [Am'd, 1893, 1895, 1903.] In what town, etc., action must be brought. An action must be brought before a justice of a town or city wherein one of the parties resides, or a justice of an adjoining town or city in the same county, except in one of the following cases: 1. Where the defendant has absconded from his residence, it may be brought before a justice of the town or city in which the defendant, or a portion of his property, is at the time of the commencement of the action. 2. [Am'd, 1895.] Where the plaintiff is not a resident of the county, or if there are two or more plaintiffs when all are nonresidents thereof, it must be brought in the town where the defendant resides, or in any adjoining town thereto. L. 1895, ch 153. 3. Where the defendant is a non-resident of the county, it may be brought before a justice of the town or city, in which he is at the time of the commencement of the action. 4. Where it is specially prescribed by law, that a particular action may be brought before a justice of the town, city, county, or district, where an offense was committed, or where property is found. 5. [Added, 1893; am'd, 1898, 1903.] In any town adjoining an incorporated city, no justice of such town shall have jurisdiction of any action brought against a resident of such adjoining city, unless one of the parties plaintiff in such action is a resident of such town. L. 1893, ch. 74; L. 1898, ch. 112; L. 1963, ch. 521. In effect Sept. 1, 1903. A defendant designated in section 2879, section 2880, or section 2881 of this act, is deemed, for the purposes of this section, a resident of the town or city where the person, to whom a copy of the summons is delivered, resides. § 2870. Criminal contempt. A justice of the peace has power to punish, for a criminal contempt, a person guilty of either of the following acts: 1. Disorderly, contemptuous, or insolent behavior towards him, while engaged in the trial of an action, the rendering of a judg ment, or any other judicial proceeding; where such behavior directly tends to interrupt the proceedings, or to impair the respect due to his authority. 2. Breach of the peace, noise, or other disturbance, directly tending to interrupt his official proceedings. 3. Resistance wilfully offered, in his presence, to the execution of his lawful mandate. He has not power to punish, for a criminal contempt, in any other case. 2 R. S. 273, § 274 (2 Edm. 281). § 2871. Id.; how punished. Punishment, for a contempt, specified in the last section, may be by fine not exceeding twenty-five dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding five days, or both, in the discretion of the justice. Where a person is committed to prison for the non-payment of such a fine, he must be discharged at the expiration of ten days; but where he is also committed for a definite time, the ten days must be computed from the expiration of the definite time. Id., § 275, am'd. § 2872. Offender to be heard. A person shall not be punished by a justice of the peace, for a contempt, until an opportunity has been given him to be heard in his defence. And, for that purpose, the justice must issue a warrant, directed, generally, to any constable of the county, requiring the constable to bring the offender before him. Id., § 276, am'd. § 2873. Record of conviction. A justice, who convicts a person of a contempt, must, within ten days after the conviction, make up, subscribe, and file in the county clerk's office, a record thereof, stating therein the particular circumstances of the offence, and the punishment awarded by him upon the conviction. Id.. § 277, am'd. § 2874. Requisites of commitment. A warrant of commitment for a contempt must set forth the particular circumstances of the offence; otherwise it is void. Id., § 278. § 2875. Fine to be paid to overseer or superintendent of the poor. An officer, who collects or receives a fine, imposed by a justice of the peace for a contempt, must, within ten days thereafter, pay the money, for the benefit of the poor, to the overseer or superintendent of the poor of the town, city, or district, wherein the fine was imposed; or, where there is no such officer, to the officer or officers performing corresponding functions under another name; unless the board of supervisors has directed the payment of fines and penalties to the supervisor of the town in a case where it is authorized by law so to do. Sec. 2876. Action; how commenced. 2877. Contents of summons. 2878. Service of summons. 2879. Id.; upon a corporation. 2880. Id.; special provisions relating to railroad corporations. 2882. Last two sections qualified. 2883. Second and third summons; effect thereof. 2884. Where name of defendant is unknown. 2885. Return of summons. 2876. Action; how commenced. An action is commenced before a justice of the peace, either by the voluntary appearance and joinder of issue by the parties, or by the service of a summons. 2 R. S. 227, §§ 11, 12 and 13 (2 Edm. 243). § 2877. [Am'd, 1904.] Contents of summons. The summons must be directed, generally, to any constable of the county where the justice resides; and it must command him to summon the defendant to appear before the justice, at a place specified therein. to answer the complaint of the plaintiff in a civil action. Where the summons is accompanied with an order to arrest the defendant, it must be made returnable immediately upon the arrest of the defendant, within twelve days after the day when it was issued; in every other case, it must be returnable at a time therein specified, not less than six nor more than twelve days after the day when it was issued. A summons shall not be made returnable on a legal holiday. Id., § 14, am'd; L. 1904, ch. 99. In effect Sept. 1, 1904. § 2878. Service of summons. Personal service of the summons must be made by delivering a copy thereof to the defendant; except where it is specially prescribed in this chapter that personal service may be made by delivering a copy to another person. Where service of a summons is personal, it must be made at least six days before the time of appearance specified therein; except where it is accompanied with an order of arrest. Id., § 15, am'd. § 2879. [Am'd, 1904.] Id.; upon a corporation. Where the defendant to be served is a corporation, or person, company or partnership doing business in another county than that in which he or it resides, the summons may be personally served upon it or him by delivering a copy thereof to an officer, managing agent or person to whom a copy of the summons in an action brought against the corporation in the supreme court might be delivered as prescribed in sections four hundred and |