Personal Injury

by

In Bynoe v. Target Corporation, the Second Circuit recently vacated the trial court’s award of summary judgment to defendant.  In this slip-and-fall case, plaintiff Bynoe sued after slipping and falling on a puddle of syrup from a fallen Del Monte fruit cup in a Brooklyn Target. The court’s decision turned on the issue of “constructive notice”.…

Read More Expert Testimony Creates Issue of Fact in Slip-and-Fall Case
Share This:
by

In Yuk Ping Cheng Chan v. Young T. Lee & Son Realty Corp., the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed a denial of summary judgment for defendant in a slip-and-fall case. Plaintiff alleged that she slipped and fell on a “large patch of grease” on the public sidewalk abutting premises owned by Yount T. Lee &…

Read More Slip-and-Fall Case Continues; Nexus Between Hazardous Condition and Circumstances of Fall Shown
Share This:
by

In Kruk v City of New York, the Appellate Division, First Department, on December 19, 2013 unanimously affirmed the lower court’s order granting summary judgment dismissing plaintiffs’ claim under Labor Law § 241(6). Plaintiff was injured while using a power saw, when “the plywood he was cutting broke, pushing his left hand into the saw’s blade.”…

Read More Labor Law 241(6) Claim Dismissed; Power Saw Had Necessary Protective Guards
Share This:
by

In Caronia v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., decided December 17, 2013, the New York Court of Appeals addressed the following question: Under New York Law, may a current or former longtime heavy smoker who has not been diagnosed with a smoking-related disease, and who is not under investigation by a physician for such a suspected…

Read More New York Court of Appeals Refuses to Create New Cause of Action for “Medical Monitoring”
Share This:
by

In Anastasiya M. v New York City Bd. of Educ., decided December 4, 2013, the Appellate Division, Second Department reversed a summary judgment for defendant in a case arising from a gym-class injury. Plaintiffs sued “after the infant plaintiff allegedly was injured during a school gym class when she fell while walking backwards in an accelerated…

Read More Gym Class Injury Case Survives Summary Judgment
Share This:
by

A case decided by the First Department today, Dillard v. New York City Housing Authority, illustrates the circumstances under which the element of proximate cause may be resolved as a matter of law.  The court reversed a summary judgment for defendant, finding an issue of fact as to plaintiff’s comparative negligence. Here: Plaintiff, a resident…

Read More Plaintiff Was Not Sole Proximate Cause of Slip and Fall on Snow/Ice-Covered Steps
Share This:
by

In Madera v. Target Corp., the Southern District of New York denied defendant Target Corporation’s motion for summary judgment.  Plaintiff sued after slipping and falling on a puddle of water in one of defendants’ stores. While ordinarily personal injury suits are brought in state court, here the defendant removed the case to federal court on…

Read More Slip and Fall Case Continues; Store’s Announcement 30 Minutes Prior to Fall Suggested That Store Had Notice of Defective Condition
Share This:
by

In Scafe v. Schindler Elevator Corp., the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the denial of summary judgment for defendant. Plaintiff sued for injuries sustained when elevator doors slammed on her hand. Summary judgment has been described as the procedural equivalent of a trial. “On a motion for summary judgment, the movant bears the burden of adducing affirmative…

Read More Elevator Accident Personal Injury Case Survives Summary Judgment
Share This: