Home/New York Court of Appeals/Bernstein v. Penny Whistle Toys, Inc.

Bernstein v. Penny Whistle Toys, Inc.

886 N.E.2d 154, 10 N.Y.3d 787, 856 N.Y.S.2d 532
CourtNew York Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 18, 2008
StatusPublished
Cited by282 cases

This text of 886 N.E.2d 154 (Bernstein v. Penny Whistle Toys, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bernstein v. Penny Whistle Toys, Inc., 886 N.E.2d 154, 10 N.Y.3d 787, 856 N.Y.S.2d 532 (N.Y. 2008).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Memorandum.

The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed with costs.

*788 We held in Collier v Zambito (1 NY3d 444, 447 [2004]) that a plaintiff bitten by a dog could not recover because he was unable to show that the dog’s owner knew or should have known of the dog’s “vicious propensities.” In Bard v Jahnke (6 NY3d 592, 599 [2006]), we held that “when harm is caused by a domestic animal, its owner’s liability is determined solely by application of the rule articulated in Collier.”

Since there is no evidence in this case that the dog’s owner had any knowledge of its vicious propensities, the Appellate Division was correct in affirming the dismissal of the complaint against defendants. Plaintiffs claims against third-party defendant were also properly dismissed, because there is no evidence that third-party defendant was negligent.

Chief Judge Kaye and Judges Ciparick, Graffeo, Read, Smith, Pigott and Jones concur.

Order affirmed, with costs, in a memorandum.

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Bluebook (online)
886 N.E.2d 154, 10 N.Y.3d 787, 856 N.Y.S.2d 532, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bernstein-v-penny-whistle-toys-inc-ny-2008.