Personal Injury

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Teaching is hard work. In addition to the typical stresses of any job – rude co-workers, overbearing bosses, long hours – teachers are forced to deal with unique challenges, such as physical violence in the classroom. This has been in the news lately; the search results from a Google query for “student attack teacher” are disheartening, to…

Read More Absence of “Special Duty” Results in Dismissal of Injured Teacher’s Lawsuit
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In Ashton v. EQR Riverside A, LLC, 2015 NY Slip Op 07916 (Oct. 29, 2015), the court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s trip-and-fall case. This case, like many premises liability cases, turned on the critical issue of “notice”. From the decision: It was undisputed that defendants did not have actual or constructive notice of the height differential…

Read More Trip/Fall Case Properly Dismissed; Expert’s Conclusion Was “Speculative”
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In Sikora v Earth Leasing Prop. Ltd. Liab. Co., 2015 NY Slip Op 07918 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Oct. 29, 2015) – a personal injury ice slip/fall case – the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed a lower court decision denying defendant’s motion for summary judgment. The court explained: Defendant failed to establish entitlement to judgment as a matter of law…

Read More Plaintiff Survives Summary Judgment in Ice Slip/Fall Personal Injury Case
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In Velasquez v. MTA Bus Co., 2015 NY Slip Op 07536 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Oct. 15, 2015), the court unanimously affirmed Supreme Court Judge Arlene Bluth’s Order granting plaintiff – an injured bicyclist – summary judgment on the issue of liability. In reaching its decision, the court cited to Vehicle and Traffic Law §§ 1122[a] and 1128.…

Read More Plaintiff Bicyclist Entitled to Summary Judgment in Bus Accident Personal Injury Case
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In Tansey v. Coscia, 2015 NY Slip Op 31778(U) (Sup. Ct. Suffolk Cty., Sept. 21, 2015), the court denied the defendant bar’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiff’s Dram Shop Act and negligent supervision claims. In this personal injury case, the plaintiff alleged that he was assaulted by another patron, defendant Nicholas Coscia, while inside defendant’s…

Read More Dram Shop Act Claim, Arising From Bar Patron Assault, Survives Summary Judgment
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In Garnett v. Strike Holdings LLC, 2015 NY Slip Op 06694 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Sept. 1, 2015), plaintiff was injured while riding in a two-seat go-kart; “[w]hile driving on the track, they were allegedly bumped twice by other go-karts, allegedly causing injuries to plaintiff, including ‘Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.’” Defendant moved for summary judgment, on the ground…

Read More Injured Go-Kart Rider Assumed Risk of Being Bumped; Negligence Case Dismissed
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Generally, by bringing a personal injury lawsuit a plaintiff waives the physician-patient privilege, but only with respect to medical records relevant to the injuries for which compensation is sought. This point is illustrated by the decision today in Kenneh v. Jey Livery Serv., 2015 NY Slip Op 06993 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Sept. 29, 2015), in which the…

Read More Defendants Not Entitled to Medical Records Relating to Preexisting Diabetic Condition in Car Accident Personal Injury Case
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Every first-year law student reads the case of Palsgraf v Long Is. R.R. Co., 248 NY 339 [1928], arguably the leading case in New York on the issue of whether a defendant had a duty to plaintiff in a negligence case. In Gonzalez v. City of New York, 2015 Slip NY Slip Op 06869 (App. Div.…

Read More Court Reinstates Negligence Claims Against City Arising From Fatal Shooting By Off-Duty Officer
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In O’Brien v. Port Auth. of N.Y. & N.J. (App. Div. 1st Dept. Sept. 8, 2015), the Appellate Division, First Department held that plaintiff – an operating engineer at the World Trade Center Freedom Tower construction site – was entitled to summary judgment on his claim under Labor Law § 240(1). Plaintiff was injured when he “slipped…

Read More WTC Worker Who Fell Down Stairway Entitled to Summary Judgment on Labor Law § 240(1) Claim
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