Five Boro Electrical Contractors Ass'n v. City of New York

This controversy concerns the right of several hundred electricians to recover excess money paid- to the City of New York during the years 1954 through 1959. During this period license fees were charged ranging from $100 to $250, which were held in Adlerstein v. City of New York (6 N Y 2d 740) to be so excessive as to be unconstitutional as bearing no reasonable relationship to the costs of the services involved in issuing the licenses. In the present action they have been granted recoveries representing the excess over $25 apiece (the correct fee amount) which the city contends to be…