Naughton v. Extell Dev. Co.

2026 NY Slip Op 30704(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, New York County
DecidedFebruary 25, 2026
DocketIndex No. 161062/2019
StatusUnpublished
AuthorDavid B. Cohen

This text of 2026 NY Slip Op 30704(U) (Naughton v. Extell Dev. Co.) 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
Naughton v. Extell Dev. Co., 2026 NY Slip Op 30704(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2026).

Opinion

Naughton v Extell Dev. Co. 2026 NY Slip Op 30704(U) February 25, 2026 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 161062/2019 Judge: David B. Cohen 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.

file:///LRB-ALB-FS1/Vol1/ecourts/Process/covers/NYSUP.1610622019.NEW_YORK.001.LBLX036_TO.html[03/10/2026 3:45:52 PM] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/25/2026 04:33 PM INDEX NO. 161062/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 120 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/25/2026

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: HON. DAVID B. COHEN PART 58 Justice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X INDEX NO. 161062/2019 DENNIS NAUGHTON, ELEANOR NAUGHTON, 12/27/2024, MOTION DATE 01/02/2025 Plaintiffs,

-v- MOTION SEQ. NO. 002 003

EXTELL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, LEND LEASE (US) CONSTRUCTION LMB, INC., SMITELL LLC, SMITELL DECISION + ORDER ON RETAIL, LLC, SAFWAY ATLANTIC, LLC MOTION Defendants. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 002) 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 91, 92, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110 were read on this motion to/for SUMMARY JUDGMENT (AFTER JOINDER) .

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 003) 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT - SUMMARY .

Plaintiffs move, pursuant to CPLR 3212, for partial summary judgment on liability

against defendants Extell Development Company (Extell), Smitell LLC, Smitell Retail LLC

(collectively, the owner defendants), Lend Lease (US) Construction LMB, Inc. (Lend Lease),

and Safway Atlantic, LLC (Safway), on their claims under Labor Law §§ 240(1) and 241(6)

(Motion Seq. 002).

Defendants oppose, and in turn, move, pursuant to CPLR 3212, for summary judgment

dismissing the complaint in its entirety, including plaintiffs’ claims for common-law negligence

and violations of Labor Law §§ 200, 240(1), and 241(6) (Motion Seq. 003). Plaintiffs oppose

defendants’ motion.

161062/2019 NAUGHTON, DENNIS vs. EXTELL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY Page 1 of 13 Motion No. 002 003

1 of 13 [* 1] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/25/2026 04:33 PM INDEX NO. 161062/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 120 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/25/2026

I. UNDISPUTED FACTS

On October 28, 2019, plaintiff was employed as a foreman by nonparty Permasteelisa at

the Central Park Tower construction project located at 217 West 57th Street, New York, New

York (the premises) (NYSCEF 76; NYSCEF 108). Extell was the owner of the premises and

retained defendant Lend Lease as construction manager for the project (NYSCEF 66; NYSCEF

76). Safway was retained in connection with the installation and maintenance of the construction

hoists at the site, including hoist H2 (NYSCEF 67; NYSCEF 76).

On the date of the incident, plaintiff was riding inside a construction hoist while

transporting materials when a ladder located inside the hoist fell and struck him on the head

(NYSCEF 57). The ladder was present in the hoist to provide access to the hoist roof or hatch

(NYSCEF 65; NYSCEF 67). plaintiff was wearing a hard hat at the time of the incident

(NYSCEF 57).

After the incident, plaintiff complained of head and neck pain and reported the accident

to site personnel (NYSCEF 65; NYSCEF 63). He did not supervise, inspect, or maintain the

hoist or ladder, and received all of his work direction from his Permasteelisa supervisor

(NYSCEF 76).

The Accident and Contemporaneous Accounts

Contemporaneous records and witness statements prepared shortly after the accident

uniformly describe a ladder inside the hoist that became loose or dislodged and fell forward

while the hoist was in motion, striking plaintiff on the head.

In a statement taken on December 4, 2019, Scott Montegari, the hoist operator who was

inside hoist H2 at the time of the incident, described a ladder positioned at the back of the hoist

car to access the hatch at the top of the car (NYSCEF 65). Montegari stated that the ladder was

161062/2019 NAUGHTON, DENNIS vs. EXTELL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY Page 2 of 13 Motion No. 002 003

2 of 13 [* 2] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/25/2026 04:33 PM INDEX NO. 161062/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 120 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/25/2026

restrained by a short piece of “kindorf” steel bolted to the hoist, which ran between two rungs to

prevent the ladder from falling forward, but that the ladder was not otherwise secured (id.). He

stated that while the hoist was traveling downward, the ladder fell forward and struck both him

and plaintiff on their hard hats, after which plaintiff complained of neck pain (id.).

John Mooney, Permasteelisa shop steward, stated in a December 11, 2019 interview that

plaintiff and the hoist operator reported they had been struck in the head by the ladder inside the

hoist (NYSCEF 65). Mooney accompanied plaintiff to medical treatment, during which plaintiff

complained of head and neck pain and appeared lightheaded (id.).

Incident reports prepared on the date of the accident are consistent with these accounts.

A Workers’ Compensation Board report states that plaintiff was riding in a hoist when a tall

metal ladder dislodged and fell on his head, causing a concussion and neck pain (NYSCEF 63).

A Lend Lease incident investigation report states that “the Safway ladder for the hoist loosen[ed]

falling on his head” (NYSCEF 62). A Permasteelisa incident report likewise states that the

ladder became loose and fell while the hoist was traveling downward, identifies a “loose ladder

in hoist car” as a hazardous condition, and notes that Safway was notified (NYSCEF 64).

Plaintiff’s EBTs (NYSCEF 57, 58)

Plaintiff testified that he was facing the front of the hoist at the time of the accident and

did not see the ladder before it struck him. He testified that the first time he became aware of the

ladder was when it impacted his head. Plaintiff did not know how the ladder had been secured

and did not investigate the ladder or hoist after the accident.

Plaintiff stated that after the ladder struck him, he experienced neck pain and dizziness,

and that he reported the incident to Mooney and was directed to complete an accident report.

161062/2019 NAUGHTON, DENNIS vs. EXTELL DEVELOPMENT COMPANY Page 3 of 13 Motion No. 002 003

3 of 13 [* 3] FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/25/2026 04:33 PM INDEX NO. 161062/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 120 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/25/2026

Defendants’ Subsequent Submissions

In support of their motion, defendants submitted affirmations dated December 2024 from

the hoist operator, Montegari (NYSCEF 101), Safway corporate safety director Edward Curtis

(NYSCEF 103), Lend Lease site safety manager Edwin Garcia (NYSCEF 102), and an

engineering expert, Shawn Rothstein, P.E. (NYSCEF 106).

In his December 2024 affirmation, Montegari stated that immediately prior to the

accident, the ladder inside hoist H2 was positioned vertically with its feet on the hoist floor and

was secured to the hoist gate with a threaded rod, which he described as the customary method of

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2026 NY Slip Op 30704(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/naughton-v-extell-dev-co-nysupctnewyork-2026.