DeGabriel v. Strong Place Realty, LLC

29 Misc. 3d 908
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 9, 2010
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 29 Misc. 3d 908 (DeGabriel v. Strong Place Realty, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
DeGabriel v. Strong Place Realty, LLC, 29 Misc. 3d 908 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2010).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Wayne P. Saitta, J.

Defendant Rockledge moves pursuant to CPLR 2221 seeking reargument of its motion for summary judgment which was partially denied by this court’s decision dated September 23, 2009 (25 Misc 3d 1212[A], 2009 NY Slip Op 52042[U] [2009]). Rockledge seeks dismissal of plaintiffs cause of action against Rockledge for violations of Labor Law § 200 and common-law negligence. That part of Rockledge’s motion to reargue seeking dismissal of plaintiff’s cause of action pursuant to Labor Law § 241 (6) as against it has previously been granted.

Plaintiff cross-moves for an order pursuant to CPLR 2221 (e) and (a) granting renewal and reargument of those portions of the order of this court dated September 23, 2009 which [910]*910dismissed plaintiffs Labor Law § 240 (1) claim, and which found that Industrial Code (12 NYCRR) § 23-1.7 (e) (2) was not violated.

Upon reading the notice of motion by Chad E. Sjoquist, Esq., dated January 26, 2009, together with the affirmation in support of Chad E. Sjoquist, Esq., dated January 26, 2009, and all exhibits annexed thereto; the memorandum of law in support of Chad E. Sjoquist, Esq., dated January 26, 2009; the notice of motion by Lisa M. Rolle, dated February 13, 2009, together with the affirmation in support of Lisa M. Rolle, Esq., dated February 13, 2009, and all exhibits annexed thereto; the affirmation in opposition of Olympia Rubino, Esq., attorney for third-party defendant, Citywide Concrete, Inc., dated March 3, 2009; the affirmation in opposition of Lisa M. Rolle, Esq., dated April 15, 2009; the affirmation in partial opposition of Chad E. Sjoquist, Esq., dated April 17, 2009; the affirmation in opposition of Ephrem J. Wertenteil, Esq., counsel for plaintiff, dated April 24, 2009; the reply affirmation of Lisa M. Rolle, Esq., dated April 29, 2009, and all exhibits annexed thereto; the reply affirmation in further support of Chad E. Sjoquist, Esq., dated April 30, 2009; the notice of cross motion to renew and reargue of Ephrem Wertenteil, Esq., counsel for plaintiff, dated March 5, 2010, and the exhibit annexed thereto; the affirmation in opposition to plaintiffs motion to renew and reargue by Chad E. Sjoquist, Esq., dated April 6, 2010, and the exhibit annexed thereto; the affirmation in opposition of Lisa M. Rolle, Esq., dated April 7, 2010; the affirmation in reply of plaintiff, dated June 4, 2010; and after argument of counsel and due deliberation thereon, plaintiffs motion to renew and reargue is denied, and defendant Rockledge’s motion to reargue the denial of summary judgment on plaintiffs claim pursuant to Labor Law § 200 and common-law negligence is denied.

Facts

Plaintiff Cesar DeGabriel seeks compensation for a workplace accident which occurred when an I beam fell on his leg, causing him to suffer injuries.

It is undisputed that the accident occurred on December 27, 2006 while plaintiff was employed by Citywide Concrete, Inc. (hereinafter Citywide) and working at 56 Strong Place, Brooklyn, New York. Plaintiff stated in his EBT that his supervisor at Citywide was foreman Francisco Javier Rivera (hereinafter Rivera). According to Schneur Plotkin, defendant Strongrew [911]*911Realty, LLC (hereinafter Strongrew), was the owner of the location and defendant Strong Place Realty, LLC (hereinafter Strong Place), was the general contractor. He also attested that Rock-ledge Scaffold Corp. (hereinafter Rockledge), had been hired by Strong Place to provide services at the premises.

According to plaintiff, he and his coworkers were moving heavy wooden beams from one location to another location in the middle of the room in which they were working. When another worker was assigned to another task on the job site, plaintiff and his coworkers then began moving the wooden beams by sliding them across the metal I beams, which plaintiff states were piled on the floor. While moving the last beam, two of the workers used their feet to push the final wooden beam across the stack of metal I beams, and dislodged one of the metal beams, causing it to fall on plaintiffs leg.

The plaintiff filed suit against the defendants, claiming violations of sections 240 (1), 241 (6) and 200 of the Labor Law.

Defendants Strong Place Realty, LLC and Strongrew Realty, LLC (Strong defendants) and Rockledge Scaffold Corp. moved for summary judgment, seeking dismissal of the complaint. In a decision and order dated September 23, 2009, the court granted that part of defendants’ motion which sought summary judgment on plaintiffs Labor Law § 240 (1) claim and denied summary judgment on plaintiff’s claims pursuant to Labor Law § 241 (6), Labor Law § 200 and common-law negligence.

Arguments

In its current motion to reargue, defendant Rockledge argues that it cannot be found liable under Labor Law § 200 and common-law negligence because the accident was not foreseeable, nor did Rockledge cause the accident. Rockledge argues that the sole proximate cause of plaintiff’s accident was plaintiffs kicking the I beam.

Plaintiff argues that Rockledge is liable pursuant to Labor Law § 200 and the common law because it created the hazard by piling the I beams at the work site.

Citywide also opposes Rockledge’s motion, arguing that there are issues of fact as to whether Rockledge stacked the I beams in a negligent manner.

Plaintiff cross-moves to reargue and renew the dismissal of his section 240 (1) claims arguing that the recent decision by the Court of Appeals in Runner v New York Stock Exch., Inc. [912]*912(13 NY3d 599 [2009]) expands the application of Labor Law § 240 (1). He argues that pursuant to Runner, an object need not fall from a particular height to constitute a violation of Labor Law § 240 (1).

Plaintiff also seeks to reargue this court’s decision that held that Industrial Code § 23-1.7 (e) (2) did not apply to plaintiffs accident, contending that this court misinterpreted the scope of that code provision, and that it was violated at the time of plaintiffs accident.

The Strong defendants further argue that the decision in Runner (supra) does not disturb this court’s order as the force-producing object, in this case the I beam, was not being moved from a higher to a lower elevation, as the reel was in Runner. The Strong defendants argue that the Runner decision only applies to the height differential of an object when it is being moved.

The Strong defendants finally argue that Industrial Code § 23-1.7 (e) (2) was not implicated in this case.

Analysis

Rockledge’s Motion to Reargue the Labor Law § 200 Claim

To establish liability against an owner or general contractor pursuant to the Labor Law provision requiring landowners to provide workers with a reasonably safe place to work, it must be established that the owner or general contractor exercised supervision and control over the work performed at the site, or had actual or constructive notice of the allegedly unsafe condition. (Labor Law § 200.)

The common law and section 200 impose a duty upon employers to provide their employees with a safe place to work. It applies to owners, contractors or their agents who had control over or supervised the work, or who created the dangerous condition and had actual or constructive notice of it. (Yong Ju Kim v Herbert Constr. Co., 275 AD2d 709 [2d Dept 2000].)

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Valladares v. Henry V. Murray Senior, LLC
2024 NY Slip Op 30926(U) (New York Supreme Court, New York County, 2024)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 Misc. 3d 908, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/degabriel-v-strong-place-realty-llc-nysupct-2010.