In Easley v. U Haul, 2018 NY Slip Op 08008 (App. Div. Nov. 21, 2018), a personal injury trip-and-fall action, the court held that defendant’s motion for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s complaint should have been granted. In sum, plaintiff alleged that he was “injured when he tripped and fell on a half-inch to one-inch metal protrusion sticking…
Read More Defect Was “Trivial”; Personal Injury Action DismissedOne common type of personal injury case involves someone being injured as a result of tripping and falling on someone’s property, resulting in injury. In these so-called “trip-and-fall” cases, courts have developed and applied the “trivial defect” doctrine. The Law In determining whether a defect is “trivial” as a matter of law, the court must…
Read More The “Trivial Defect” Doctrine in Personal Injury Trip-and-Fall Premises Liability CasesIn 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”