Section 271. Penalty and action to recover

Any  person violating any
  provision of this article shall forfeit  to  such  owner  or  dealer  or
  shipper  or his agent the sum of fifty dollars for every such violation,
  and an action may be brought therefor in the  name  of  any  such  agent
  without  joining  the  real party in interest that he represents, and in
  any such action brought for any such violation different persons may  be
  joined  as  plaintiffs, whether jointly or severally interested therein,
  and different persons may be  joined  as  defendants  therein  who  have
  severally  violated  any  such  provisions, and a recovery may be had in
  favor of one or more of such plaintiffs against  one  or  more  of  such
  defendants.
    Such  action  may  be brought in a court of record having jurisdiction
  thereof, and the place of trial thereof shall in such case  be  laid  in
  the  county  where the defendant resides at the time of the commencement
  thereof, or it may be brought in a justice court or other court  not  of
  record  having  similar  jurisdiction,  in  the town, city or county for
  which such court is constituted and in which the  defendant  resides  at
  the  time  of  the  commencement  of the action. Any such action must be
  begun within one year after the cause of action accrued.
    The civil court of the city of New York shall have  jurisdiction  over
  actions  brought  under the provisions of this article against residents
  of said city and such court and the judges thereof shall in such actions
  have and exercise all the powers now conferred by said article on courts
  not of record, and the sheriff of the city of New York and the  marshals
  of said city shall have to like extent the powers of constables provided
  in said article.