Public Service Commission v. Jamaica Water Supply Co.

Decision Date14 June 1977
Parties, 366 N.E.2d 872 In the Matter of the PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION of the State of New York, Respondent, v. JAMAICA WATER SUPPLY COMPANY et al., Appellants.
CourtNew York Court of Appeals Court of Appeals

Bernard S. Meyer, Mineola, for appellants.

Charles R. Gibson and Peter H. Schiff, Albany, for respondent.

W. Bernard Richland, Corp. Counsel, New York City (L. Kevin Sheridan, Alexander Gigante, Jr., and John C. Brennan, New York City, of counsel), for City of New York, amicus curiae.

MEMORANDUM.

Order of the Appellate Division affirmed, with costs, on the opinion of Mr. Justice J. Clarence Herlihy at the Appellate Division.

It is only necessary to add the following: People ex rel. New York Rys. Co. v. Public Serv. Comm., 223 N.Y. 373, 119 N.E. 848, may seem to suggest a more restricted view of the powers of the commission to assure adequacy of service. Its discussion, however, is concerned with a less direct effort to protect the financial structure of the railroad company. Indeed, the less direct effort there, it could be said, involved a closer and greater encroachment on the internal managerial policies and decisions of the company. It had then been recently reorganized, and the commission sought to enforce a program for replenishment of the capital accounts behind the bonds and stocks recently issued in replacement of the securities of the old company. In this case, on the other hand, the systematic withdrawals of earnings and the reduction therefore of the working capital of the water company had, at the time of the commission's order, imperiled the water company's capacity to maintain adequate service, sustained only by rate increases. The order stops the drain of working capital by the water company's payment out of cash to the parent company to cover losses by the parent's other subsidiaries.

There was no abuse of discretion, as a matter of law, by the Appellate Division in declining to grant leave to serve an answer under subdivision (a) of CPLR 404.

BREITEL, C. J., and JASEN, GABRIELLI, JONES, WACHTLER, FUCHSBERG and COOKE, JJ., concur.

Order affirmed, with costs, in a memorandum.

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6 cases
  • Energy Ass'n of New York State v. Public Service Com'n of State of N.Y.
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court
    • 25 November 1996
    ..."just and reasonable" rates or "safe and adequate" services (PSL, sections 65, 66; Matter of Public Serv. Comm'n v. Jamaica Water Supply Co., 42 N.Y.2d 880, 397 N.Y.S.2d 784, 366 N.E.2d 872 [1977] ), it would appear the Commission may condition discretionary rate relief on asset OPINION 96-......
  • Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc. v. Public Service Commission
    • United States
    • New York Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
    • 1 May 1979
    ... ... Matter of Public Serv. Comm. of State of N. Y. v. Jamaica Water Supply Co., 42 N.Y.2d 880, 397 N.Y.S.2d 784, 366 N.E.2d 872, affg. 54 A.D.2d 10, 386 N.Y.S.2d ... ...
  • Atwell v. Power Authority
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • 19 April 1979
    ...(Matter of Public Serv. Comm. of State of N. Y. v. Jamaica Water Supply Co., 54 A.D.2d 10, 11, 386 N.Y.S.2d 230, affd. 42 N.Y.2d 880, 397 N.Y.S.2d 784, 366 N.E.2d 872). Article VII does not expressly authorize imposition of a research program as a condition of a certificate, and while secti......
  • Rochester Gas and Elec. Corp. v. Public Service Com'n
    • United States
    • New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division
    • 23 October 1986
    ...472 N.E.2d 981, appeal dismissed 470 U.S. 1075, 105 S.Ct. 1831, 85 L.Ed.2d 132; Matter of Public Serv. Commn. of State of N.Y. v. Jamaica Water Supply Co., 42 N.Y.2d 880, 397 N.Y.S.2d 784, 366 N.E.2d 872; Matter of General Tel. Co. of Upstate N.Y. v. Public Serv. Commn. of State of N.Y., 63......
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