NY Labor Law 240(1)

by

Generally, the purpose New York’s “scaffold law” (New York Labor Law § 240(1)) is to protect construction workers from the pronounced risks arising from construction work site elevation differentials. A recent First Department case, Jordan v. City of New York (decided March 26, 2015), illustrates that what might seem like relatively small elevation differentials can nevertheless implicate…

Read More Force, Not Height, Is Key In a Labor Law 240(1) Construction Accident Case
Share This:
by

In Blanco v. NBC Trust No. 1996A, a construction accident personal injury case, the Appellate Division, First Department held that plaintiff was entitled to partial summary judgment on the issue of liability under Labor Law 240(1) claim. In finding for plaintiff, the court held: Dismissal of the Labor Law § 240(1) claim was improper in this…

Read More Plaintiff Electrician Entitled to Summary Judgment in Ladder Fall Case
Share This:
by

In Jerez v. Tishman Constr. Corp. of N.Y. (decided June 24, 2014), the Appellate Division, First Department held that plaintiff was entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law § 240(1) claim: Plaintiff, a carpenter, made a prima facie showing of his entitlement to judgment as a matter of law on the issue of defendants’ liability under Labor Law…

Read More Falling Carpenter Entitled to Summary Judgment on Labor Law 240(1) Claim
Share This:
by

New York Labor Law § 240(1) is a very important statute, as it provides significant protections to workers who are exposed to gravity-related risks without being provided with adequate safety devices. However, in order for its considerable protections to kick in, it must be determined, in the first instance, whether it applies. Labor Law § 240(1) provides, in pertinent…

Read More Replacement of Windows Was “Repair”, Rather Than “Routine Maintenance”, Entitling Plaintiff Worker to Summary Judgment in Labor Law 240(1) Construction Accident Case
Share This:
by

In DeRose v. Bloomingdale’s Inc., the Appellate Division, First Department held that plaintiff was entitled to partial summary judgment on liability on his Labor Law § 240(1) claim. While this case is but one data point in the ocean of Labor Law § 240(1) case law, it underscores the important point that a worker should not pay…

Read More Injured Carpenter Entitled to Summary Judgment on Liability, Where Supervisor Instructed Worker Not to Use Appropriate Scaffold
Share This:
by

In Tria v. Regis High School (decided April 14, 2014), the court granted plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on his Labor § 240(1) claim, but denied it with respect to plaintiff’s Labor Law § 241(6) claim. Plaintiff was injured when, while unloading a tractor trailer of press board panels and stacking them on an A frame dolly, the…

Read More Court Considers Weight and Force Generated By Falling Object in Granting Injured Worker Summary Judgment on Labor Law 240(1) Claim
Share This:
by

In Serra v. Goldman Sachs Group, the Appellate Division, First Department held that the trial court properly granted plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment as to liability on plaintiff’s Labor Law § 240(1) claim: [P]laintiffs submitted uncontradicted deposition testimony that the unsecured extended ladder upon which plaintiff was working slipped and fell out from underneath him.…

Read More Ladder Slip Results in Summary Judgment for Plaintiff on Labor Law 240(1) Claim
Share This:
by

In Bisram v. Long Island Jewish Hospital, a recent construction accident case, the Appellate Division, First Department affirmed the lower court’s decision to grant plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on his Labor Law § 240(1) claim, but modified the decision and granted defendants’ motion as to plaintiff’s claims based on Labor Law § 200 and certain claims…

Read More Defendant’s Failure to Secure Steel Beam Results in Summary Judgment for Plaintiff on Labor Law 240(1) Claim
Share This:
by

In Hettich v 125 E. 50th St. Co., LLC, the Appellate Division, First Department recently modified a lower court order to deny defendants’ motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint, and affirmed the denial of plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on liability. In this case, plaintiff was injured when the hoist cable for the dumbwaiter in…

Read More Dumbwaiter Injury Suit Continues
Share This:
by

In Fabrizi v. 1095 Ave. of the Americas, the New York Court of Appeals addressed the issue of what constitutes a safety device within the meaning of Labor Law § 240(1). That statute, known as the “Scaffold Law”, provides: All contractors and owners and their agents, except owners of one and two-family dwellings who contract for…

Read More Court of Appeals Clarifies What is a Labor Law § 240(1) Safety Device
Share This: