In Pion v. New York City Hous. Auth. (App. Div. 1st Dept. Feb. 10, 2015), the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s complaint. In this personal injury premises liability lawsuit, plaintiff alleged that he was injured when he tripped and fell down a staircase in defendant’s building.…
Read More “Trap” Stairway Trip-Fall Case ContinuesIn Rebollo v. Nicholas Cab Corp. (App. Div. 1st Dept. Feb. 5, 2015), the Appellate Division, First Department reversed the lower court’s order granting defendants’ motion to “appear for a further independent medical examination (IME) by a physician designated by defendants.” In holding that a further medical exam was not warranted, the court reasoned: Plaintiff…
Read More Defendants Prohibited From Conducting Further “Independent” Medical Exam (IME) of PlaintiffIn Rajkumar v. Budd Contracting Co. (App. Div. 1st Dept. 2/5/15), the Appellate Division, First Department unanimously revered the lower court’s order granting summary judgment to defendant. From the decision: Plaintiff, an employee of a framing contractor, commenced this action alleging that he slipped and was injured while carrying a framed mirror when his foot…
Read More Construction Paper Trip-Fall Case ContinuesConstruction sites can be dangerous – not only for workers, but also for pedestrians. In Porteous v J-Tek Group, Inc. et al., a personal injury case, plaintiff sued to recover “damages for injuries he sustained when a falling piece of wood struck him in the head as he was walking on the sidewalk in front of…
Read More Plaintiff Struck by Falling Wood May Continue Personal Injury Case Against Building Owner and Independent ContractorIn Negroni v. Langsam Prop. Servs. Corp. (App. Div. 1st Dept. Jan. 29, 2015), the court affirmed the denial of defendants’ motion for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s complaint. In this personal injury (premises liability) case, plaintiff alleged that she was injured when the kitchen ceiling in her apartment collapsed. Defendants were not entitled to summary…
Read More Ceiling Collapse Personal Injury Premises Liability Case ContinuesIn Fisher v. Kasten, decided January 21, 2015, the Appellate Division, Second Department dismissed plaintiff’s slip-and-fall case on the basis of the so-called “storm-in-progress” rule. Plaintiff alleges that in February 2011, he was “injured after slipping and falling on an icy condition on the landing of an exterior stairway of the apartment building in which…
Read More Court Applies “Storm in Progress” Rule to Dismiss Slip-and-Fall CaseIn Williamson v Ogden Cap Props., LLC, decided January 27, 2015, the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the denial of defendant’s summary judgment motion, permitting plaintiff’s claims to continue. From the decision: Defendants failed to make a prima facie showing that they lacked constructive notice of the alleged defective mailbox panel, because it is undisputed…
Read More Failure to Inspect Alleged Defective Mailbox Panel Results in Continuation of Postal Worker’s Personal Injury CaseCellar doors are a ubiquitous aspect of New York City life. As illustrated by a recent tragedy in which a man who apparently fell to his death through a cellar grate at 1281 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, they can be dangerous – even deadly. Property owners are required to maintain their property in a reasonably…
Read More Cellar Door InjuriesIn Coley v. NYC Housing Authority (decided January 20, 2015) – an ice slip-and-fall case – the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the denial of defendant’s motion for summary judgment. It reasoned: Defendant failed to establish its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law in this action where plaintiff was injured when she slipped…
Read More Issues of Fact in Ice Slip/Fall Case Result in Proper Denial of Summary Judgment to DefendantIn Horn v. 197 5th Ave. Corp., the Appellate Division, Second Department held that plaintiff’s trip-and-fall case should have been dismissed. Plaintiff sued “to recover damages for injuries she sustained when she allegedly tripped and fell over a sidewalk cellar door adjacent to the defendants’ property at 197 Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn.” There was, however, a…
Read More Cellar Door Trip/Fall Case Should Have Been Dismissed; Errata Sheet Could Not Be Used to Correct Location of Accident