Harney v. Site 3 DSA Owner LLC

2024 NY Slip Op 30463(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, New York County
DecidedFebruary 13, 2024
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2024 NY Slip Op 30463(U) (Harney v. Site 3 DSA Owner LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court, New York County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harney v. Site 3 DSA Owner LLC, 2024 NY Slip Op 30463(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2024).

Opinion

Harney v Site 3 DSA Owner LLC 2024 NY Slip Op 30463(U) February 13, 2024 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 153979/2020 Judge: Mary V. Rosado Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. INDEX NO. 153979/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 100 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/13/2024

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: HON.MARYV.ROSADO PART 33M Justice -------------· --- ... ~------------------~HT------------------. H -~-- ----------X INDEX NO. _153979/2020 JOHN HARNEY, CHRISTI NE HARNEY MOTION DATE 01/1 812023 Plaintiff, MOTION SEQ. NO. _..:...00..:....1_ __

SITE 3 DSA OVI/NER L LC, TRITON CONSTRU CTlON AND DECISION + ORDER ON DEVELOPMENT LLC, MOTION Defendant.

The fol1owfng e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 001) 18, 19, 20. 21, 22, 23,24, 25, 26, 27,28, 29, 30, 31, 32,41.44.45.46,47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61,62, 63, 64, 65,66, 67, 68,69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87.88, 89, 90, 91 we re read on th is motion to/for JUDGMENT-SUMMARY ------ - ----- l; pon the fon.~going papers, and after oral argument \Vhich was held on August 22, 2023

with David L Engelsher, Esq. appearing for plaintiff~ John Hamey ("Mr. Hamey") and Christine

Hamey ("Mrs. IIarnc:y") (''Plaintiffs") and Mkhael flake~ Esq. appearing for defendants Site 3

lJSA Owner LLC (''DSA") Jnd Triton Construction and Development LLC C'Triton") (together,

··Defendants"), Pluintiffs' motion for partial summary judgment on the issue ofliabihty with

respect to their claims under T,ahor Law 200 and Labor Law 241 (6): is denied. Defendants:

cross-motion for summary judgment di1::missing Plaintjffs' Complaint is granted in part and

denied in patt.

I. Background and ProccduraJ Histon·

This case arises out Plaintiff John Harnc:f strip and foH at a construt::1ion site located at

202 Broome Street, Kev,..· York, I\. Y. (the "•Site") on Septemhcr 17, 2019 (the '· Accident")

(KYSCEF Doc" 22 at~ 17).

153979IW20 HARNEY, JOHN ET AL vs. SITE .1 DSA OWNER LLC ET AL ~age 1 of 11 Motion No. 0{11

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On the date of the Accident, the Sil.e was owned by DSA (NYSCFF Doc. 23 at ~! 3 ). DSA

had contracted with Triton rm Triton to act as the Construction \ifunagcr of the Site (:-JYSCEF Doc. 19 at~ 6). Triton's Field General Superinl~n

(a/k/a :'Kavesh") (/d. ) .

Prior to the date of the Accident, Triton entered into a contract with Mr. Hamey's

employer. Park Avenue Concrete} to perform construction work at the Site (NYSCEF Doc. 22 at

•· 14). At the time of the Accident, Mr. Hamey was employed by Park Avenue Concrete as a

hoist operator at the Site (NYSCF.f Doc. 5 5 at pp. 73-74 ). The Site had tw·o hoi:'its in operation.

po-;i tioncu ~idc hy side, each tnstallcd and maintained by S&F Scaffold, LLC, a company hired

by Triton (NYSCEF Doc. 19 at~ 7).

On June 5, '.2020 Plaintiffs commenced this action aguirn,L Ddcndants Owner and Triton,

aHcging violations of Labor Law Sections 200,241 (6) and 240(1) (NYSCEF Doc. 22). Mr.

Barney alleges thaL on September 17, 2019, he tripped and fell while walking into a hoist at the

Site because the Jov,,:er gate attached to the hoist \Vas not flush to the floor, creating a tripping

hazard (NYSCEF Doc. 19 at ii 5).

On January 18, 2023 Plaintiffs brought the instant motion for partial summary j udgmcnt

on the issue of liabjlity against Defendants based on Defendants' alleged violations of Labor

Law Section 200 and 241(6) (NYSCEF Doc. 18). On March 2, 2023 Ocfcndants filed a cross-

motion for summary judgment to dismiss Plaintiffs' Complaint in its entirety (NYSCEF Doc. 49)

IL Discussion

A. Summar,,' Judgment Standard

Summary judgment is a drastic remedy, Lu bt::! granted only \Vhcrc the moving pany has

tmdcrcd sufficient evidence to demonstrate the absence or any material issues of fact.•: (Vega v

153979/2020 HAR~EY, JOHN ET AL vs. SITE 3 DSA OWNER LLC ET AL P.ige 2 □ f 11 Motion No. 001

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Resrani Const. Corp .. 18 NY3d 499,503 [2012]}. The moving party's "burden is a heavy one and

on a motion for summary judgmenl.) facts must he viewed in the light most favorabk to the non-

moving party.': (Jacobsen r },lew York City Heahh and Hasps. Corp.• 22 KY3d 824, 833 [20141).

Once this showing is made, the burden shifts to the party opposing the motion to produce

cvidcntiary proot: in admissible form. sufficient to establish the existence of mate1ial issues ofiacl

w"hich require a lriaI (.vee e.g., Zuckerman v Ci!y n.f }Vew York, 49 ~Y2d 5 S71 562 I l 980t

Pemberton v },lew York City Tr. Auth., 304 AD2d 340, 342 [l 5l Dept 2003 ]). Mere conclusion~ of

lav.· or fact are insufli.cient to defeat a motion for swnrnary judgm~nt (see Bancu Popular .-Vor!h

Am. v Victory 1tixi Mgt .. Inc., I NYJd 381 [2004"1}.

B. Plaintiffs' )..fotion for Partial Summary Judgment on J.iability Based on Labor Law Section 200 is Denied

The First Department has he]d that, '\,,,-her~ an ~xisting defect or

caused the injury, liability attaches if the oWTier or general contractor created the condition or had

actual or ~on:-;lructivc notice ot· il'" (Cappahianw v Slwmka USA Bldg Inc., 99 A1J3d l 39, 144

flst Dept 20121). Contrasting1y, in cases \vhcre the injury was ~•caused by the manner and rn~an~

of the \.vork, including the equipment used," it i~ wdl established lhat "the owner or general

contractor is liable if it actually exercised supervisory control over the injury-producing work''

(!d. ). Further, '·where a defect JS not inherent but is creattd by th~ manner in which the \vork is

performed. the clatm under Labor law 200 is one for means and methods and not one for a

d angerOll s condition existing on the premises)• ( Villanueva v 1J4 Fiji h Ave. As soc. LL C, 16 2 AD 3

404, 406 [1st Dept 2018]).

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153979[2020 HARNEY, JOHN ET AL vs, SITE 3 DSA OWNER LLC ET AL Page 3 of 11 Motion No. D01

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1. Material Questions of Fact Remain Regarding Whether ~1r. Harney' s Injury Stems from the Manner in which IIis Work \VflS Performed

J.4lbor J.aw 200 codij1es an O\Vner or gtner4ll c:ontractor' s rnmmon-law Julie~ of care (Rom

v 47 E J4lh St, (NY), LP.. 208 ALJJ d 1075, 1081 [1st Dept 2O22 l). "Claims for personal injury

under the statute and the common lmv fall into lv,..-o broad caLtgories: tho~e arising from un alleged

defect or dangerous condition cxistjng on the premises and those arising from the manner in which

lhe work was perforn1ed" (Cappabianca at 143-144).

Plaintiffs contend that Mr. Hamey's injuries were caused by a dangerous or defective

condition in the hoist door~ namely, that the door created a tripping hazard because it was too big

and was not CTush with Lhe floor (l\"YSCF.F Doc. 20 al p. 14).

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2024 NY Slip Op 30463(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harney-v-site-3-dsa-owner-llc-nysupctnewyork-2024.