Arthur K. O’Hara, Respondent v. the State of New York, Appellant

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals affirmed the Board of Claims award to Arthur K. O'Hara for services rendered to quarantine officials, holding that the 1886 legislative act ratifying unauthorized officer actions does not violate the constitutional prohibition on auditing or allowing private claims and does not render the claim time‑barred. The Court reasoned that a cause of action arises only when the legislature creates a liability, and therefore the statute of limitations had not yet begun to run. A dissent was noted but not included in the opinion.