Alonzo v. Safe Harbors of the Hudson Housing Development Fund Co.

104 A.D.3d 446, 961 N.Y.S.2d 91

This text of 104 A.D.3d 446 (Alonzo v. Safe Harbors of the Hudson Housing Development Fund Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alonzo v. Safe Harbors of the Hudson Housing Development Fund Co., 104 A.D.3d 446, 961 N.Y.S.2d 91 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Order, Supreme Court, Bronx County (Julia I. Rodriguez, J.), entered July 8, 2011, which, insofar as appealed from as limited by the briefs, denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment dismissing plaintiffs common-law negligence and Labor Law §§ 200, 240 (1) and 241 (6) claims, and denied plaintiffs cross motion for partial summary judgment on his sections 240 (1) and 241 (6) claims, unanimously modified, on the law, to grant so much of defendants’ motion as sought dismissal of plaintiffs common-law negligence and Labor Law § 200 claims, to grant plaintiffs cross motion as against defendant Mountco and the owner of the property, and to remand for a determination as to who the owner of the property was for purposes of liability under sections 240 (1) and 241 (6), and otherwise affirmed, without costs.

Plaintiff worked as a carpenter’s assistant in connection with the conversion of a hotel into a residential apartment building. Defendant Mountco was the general contractor. The “General Conditions” of Mountco’s contract with the owner provided that Mountco, as general contractor, “shall be solely responsible for and have control over construction means, methods, techniques, sequences and procedures and for coordinating all portions of the Work under the Contract,” including “initiating, maintaining and supervising all safety precautions and programs in connection with the performance of the Contract.” Further, Mountco’s superintendent conceded that he had the authority to stop work if he observed any unsafe condition. Mountco’s contract identified defendant Cornerstone as the “owner.” However, the deed to the property identified defendant Safe Harbors as the owner.

[447]*447The accident occurred on the third story of the building. Plaintiff was walking towards a window through which insulation was being delivered, when he stepped on an eight-by-four-foot section of three-quarter-inch-thick plywood, which unexpectedly “flipped up.” The sheet of plywood had been covering an opening in the floor. Plaintiff fell through the hole, which to that point had been concealed, 10 or 12 feet to the story below.

Mountco’s superintendent testified that on the morning of the accident, he had walked through the area where plaintiff later fell, and had observed the sheet of plywood covering the hole. According to the superintendent, the hole had been made to facilitate the passage of debris and materials from one floor to another. However, he stated that when he saw it that morning, the plywood was nailed down and had the word “Hole” written on it in orange spray paint. He further testified that he had been “advised” that plaintiff himself had removed the protective plywood from the opening before his fall.

Plaintiff asserted claims against all of the defendants for common-law negligence and for violations of Labor Law §§ 200, 240 (1) and 241 (6). Plaintiff filed a note of issue on October 19, 2010. By notice dated November 24, 2010, defendants moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint in its entirety. They argued that they could not be held liable under Labor Law § 200, or under a theory of common-law negligence, because they did not direct, control, or supervise the work that plaintiff was doing at the time of his accident, and did not have notice of the dangerous condition. Defendants further argued that plaintiff had not pointed to any regulatory violations sufficient to support a cause of action under section 241 (6). As for the Labor Law § 240 (1) claim, defendants contended that plaintiffs fall through an opening in a level floor was not an elevation related accident. They further contended that plaintiff himself removed the plywood covering the opening, rendering him the sole proximate cause of his accident. Finally, defendant Safe Harbors asserted that it was not an owner, contractor, or owner’s agent, and so could not be held liable under section 240 (D.

By notice dated February 5, 2011, plaintiff opposed defendants’ motion and cross-moved for summary judgment on the issue of defendants’ liability under Labor Law §§ 240 (1) and 241 (6). In opposition to defendants’ motion, plaintiff argued that issues of fact existed as to whether Mountco exercised supervisory control over his work and had notice of the dangerous condition that caused his accident, warranting denial of summary judgment on his negligence and Labor Law § 200 claims. Plaintiff [448]*448asserted that Mountco’s contractual authority to oversee safety gave it the requisite degree of supervision necessary for imposing liability on it. In support of summary judgment on his section 240 (1) claim, plaintiff asserted that the “uncompleted” and “temporary” nature of the area of the floor through which he fell rendered it the functional equivalent of a scaffold, and that the unprotected opening constituted a violation of the statute. Plaintiff further contended there was no view of the evidence that would support a finding that he caused his own accident by removing the protective plywood.

Plaintiff claimed that defendants had violated several provisions of part 23 of the Industrial Code (12 NYCRR), including requirements that “hazardous openings” “shall be guarded by a substantial cover fastened in place or by a safety railing” (12 NYCRR 23-1.7 [b] [1] [i]) or by a railing with a swinging gate (id. § 23-1.7 [b] [1] [ii]). Plaintiff argued that these violations warranted partial summary judgment in his favor on his claim under Labor Law § 241 (6).

In reply, defendants asserted that plaintiffs cross motion for summary judgment should be denied because it was made after the motion court’s deadline for dispositive motions.

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Bluebook (online)
104 A.D.3d 446, 961 N.Y.S.2d 91, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alonzo-v-safe-harbors-of-the-hudson-housing-development-fund-co-nyappdiv-2013.