Santa Claus has a difficult job. In addition to needing to violate the laws of physics, there’s always the risk of injury. This could happen in many ways, including Falling off an icy/unsalted roof, Getting stuck in a too-narrow chimney, Being burned by a lit fireplace upon descending down a chimney, Tripping and falling over scattered…
Read More Ho, Ho, Ho…Ouch! Can an Injured Santa Claus (Successfully) Sue?In Vera v. Low Income Mktg. Corp., 2016 NY Slip Op 08318 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Dec. 13, 2016), a personal injury/construction accident case, the court explained its decision to grant plaintiff’s, and deny defendant’s, motion for summary judgment. At issue was plaintiff’s status. From the decision: The motion court properly granted plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary…
Read More Workers’ Compensation Board Finding Regarding “Employment” Was Not Preclusive in Construction Accident (Labor Law § 240(1)) Case; Injured Plaintiff Was Not a “Volunteer”In Serin v. Soulcycle Holdings, LLC, 2016 NY Slip Op 08179 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Dec. 6, 2016), the Appellate Division unanimously reversed a lower court’s order granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment. The court held: Although defendant made a prima facie showing that the spin cycle on which plaintiff was injured was not defective and…
Read More Spin Cycle Personal Injury Case Continues; Claim Not Barred By ReleaseIn Pearce v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., No. 14 CIV. 6836, 2016 WL 4540832 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 30, 2016), the court denied defendant’s summary judgment motion on plaintiff’s personal injury / slip-and-fall claim. In sum, plaintiff claimed that they were injured when they slipped on a wet substance while in defendant’s store. As explained by the court,…
Read More Slip/Fall Case Continues; Destruction of Video Leads to Inference of Constructive NoticeIn Goodwin v. Dix Hills Jewish Ctr., 2016 NY Slip Op 07293 (App. Div. 2nd Dept. Nov. 9, 2016), a construction accident case, the court held that plaintiff established a violation of New York Labor Law § 240(1). It therefore modified a lower court order denying plaintiff’s, and granting defendant’s, motion on that issue. Here are the…
Read More Injured Worker Who Fell From Ladder Entitled to Summary Judgment on Labor Law 240(1) Claim; Work Was Ancillary to Covered Activity of “Altering”If, while out and about this holiday season, you encounter a pile of Christmas trees, tread carefully. In Barchi v. Rudin E. 55th St. LLC, 2016 NY Slip Op 07266 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Nov. 3, 2016), the court affirmed the summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s trip-and-fall personal injury complaint. From the decision/order: Defendants satisfied their prima…
Read More Christmas Tree Trip-and-Fall Complaint DismissedA recent First Department decision, Rosario v. Prana Nine Props., LLC, 2016 NY Slip Op 06431 (Oct. 4, 2016), upheld the lower court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s personal injury slip-and-fall case. The court summarized the law as follows: A defendant who moves for summary judgment in a slip and fall case has the initial burden of…
Read More Slip/Fall Case Dismissed; No Duty to Correct Pedestrian-Tracked Water; No Notice of UrineA recent decision, Joseph v. City of New York, 2016 NY Slip Op 06649 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Oct. 11, 2016), illustrates the limitation of New York Labor Law 240(1), which imposes strict liability in certain construction-related accidents. From the decision: Plaintiff Lindy Joseph was struck by a pipe while it was being flushed clean with…
Read More Pressure, Not Gravity, Caused Pipe-Related Injury; Labor Law 240(1) Claim DismissedIn Balleram v. 11P, LLC, 2016 NY Slip Op 06458 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Oct. 4, 2016), the court affirmed a lower court’s order granting summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s complaint. Briefly, plaintiff sued to recover damages for personal injuries she allegedly sustained as a result of her slipping and falling while standing in her bathtub taking a…
Read More Court: No Statutory Duty to Install a “Handrail or Grab-Bar” in Apartment BathroomIn Chimbo v. Bolivar, 2016 NY Slip Op 05969 (App. Div. 2nd Dept. Sept. 14, 2016) – an auto accident case arising from a collision between plaintiff’s vehicle and defendant’s garbage truck – the court reversed an order granting summary judgment to defendant. This decision reminds us of summary judgment is not permissible where there are…
Read More Conflicting Versions of Car Accident Result in Reversal of Summary Judgment for Defendant