In Alvarado v. City of New York, 2019 NY Slip Op 00962 (App. Div. 1st Dept. Feb. 7, 2019), a personal injury case, the court unanimously affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s complaint. From the decision: Defendant made a prima facie showing of its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law, by submitting evidence that plaintiff…
Read More Basketball Injury Case Properly DismissedSanta 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 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 Ingram v. Life Fitness, 2016 NY Slip Op 05085 (App. Div. 1st Dept. June 28, 2016), the court reversed a denial of summary judgment to defendants, and directed the clerk to enter judgment dismissing the complaint. In her complaint, plaintiff alleged that, while she was attempting to step on a treadmill – identified in the…
Read More Treadmill Injury Claim Dismissed; Plaintiff Assumed the RiskIn the recent case of Bryant v. Town of Brookhaven, No. 12761/10, 2016 WL 230089 (N.Y. App. Div. 2d Dept. Jan. 20, 2016) provides an overview of the personal injury law concept of “assumption of risk”. Here, the injured plaintiff was playing golf when he slipped and fell on a wet wooden railroad tie that lined…
Read More Golfer Assumed Risk; Slip/Fall Case DismissedThe tragic story of the death of 15-year-old Natalia Jimenez is making the rounds. The New York Times reports, for example, that Ms. Jimenez died on Friday (1/15/16) afternoon after she tried to jump from one rooftop to another in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The Times article continues: A neighbor chastised [Natalia and her two friends],…
Read More Failed Manhattan Building Jump Attempt Results in Death of NYC Teen Natalie JimenezIn 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 DismissedGrowing up, I spent a lot of time playing “manhunt” with my friends. Thankfully, unlike the plaintiff in a recent case, we never suffered any injuries while playing. Here are the facts of Wolfe v. North Merrick Union Free School District, 2014 NY Slip Op 07499, 122 AD3d 620 (App. Div. 2nd Dept. Nov. 5,…
Read More Plaintiff Injured During Game of “Manhunt” Did Not Assume Risk; Case ContinuesIn Bunn v. Town of N. Hempstead (decided August 28, 2013), the Second Department held that the defendant failed to establish its entitlement to summary judgment on the issue of assumption of risk. Plaintiff was injured while playing basketball after tripping on a crack in the court and catching his foot on a metal cap, which…
Read More No Assumption of Risk of Basketball InjuryThe Appellate Division, First Department this week held, in Tadmor v. New York Jiu Jitsu, that the defendant should have been granted summary judgment on plaintiff’s claim arising from an injury to his left knee while sparring with another student in a mixed martial arts class. The court held that plaintiff, who served in the…
Read More Israeli Army-Trained Martial Artist Assumed the Risk of Injury