Sanchez v. Dushey

2024 NY Slip Op 31690(U)

• Court: New York Supreme Court, New York County
• Decided: May 15, 2024
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

Sanchez v Dushey 2024 NY Slip Op 31690(U) May 15, 2024 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 152441/2019 Judge: Paul A. Goetz 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. 152441/2019 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 103 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 05/15/2024

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: HON. PAUL A. GOETZ PART 47 Justice ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------X INDEX NO. 152441/2019 JOEL LOPEZ SANCHEZ, 04/29/2022, MOTION DATE 04/14/2022 Plaintiff,

- V - MOTION SEQ. NO. _ _0_0_1_0_0_2__

JACK DUSHEY, INDIVIDUALLY, AND AS A PARTNER IN 540 FULTON ASSOCIATES, 540 FULTON ASSOCIATES, 540 FULTON ASSOCIATES LLC,PAV-LAK CONTRACTING DECISION + ORDER ON INC., MOTION

Defendants. ------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------X

540 FULTON ASSOCIATES LLC, PAV-LAK CONTRACTING Third-Party INC. Index No. 596174/2019

Plaintiffs,

-against-

STRUCTURETECH NEW YORK, INC.

Defendant. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 001) 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96, 99,101 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT-SUMMARY

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, 97, 98,100 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT-SUMMARY

In this Labor Law personal injury action, plaintiff moves for summary judgment (motion

sequence 001) on his Labor Law § 241 ( 6) claim as against defendants 540 Fulton Associates

LLC and Pav Lak Contracting Inc. ( collectively "Fulton defendants"). The Fulton defendants

move for summary judgment (motion sequence 002) seeking dismissal of plaintiffs complaint as

against them.

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BACKGROUND

Defendant 540 Fulton Associates, LC ("540 Fulton") owned the premises located at 540

Fulton Street, Brooklyn, New York (NYSCEF Doc No 72 ,i 3). Defendant Pav Lak Contracting

Inc ("Pav Lak") was the construction manager and general contractor at the premises (id. at ,i 4).

Pav Lak was hired by 540 Fulton to manage the construction of a 43-story building at 540 Fulton

Street (id. at ,i 5). Pav Lak hired StructureTech New York, Inc. ("StructureTech") to complete

the foundation work at the Job Site (id. at ,i 9). Plaintiff, was a StructureTech employee who was

tasked with using an electric power saw to cut wood and make forms for the foundation work (id.

at ,i 24). Plaintiff alleges that the floor of his work area was wet with standing puddles of water

and when he reached down to pick up the electric saw he slipped on a puddle and injured himself

(id. at i1 25 - 32).

DISCUSSION

Summary Judgment Standard

It is well settled that 'the proponent of a summary judgment motion must make a prima

facie showing of entitlement to judgment as a matter of law, tendering sufficient evidence to

demonstrate the absence of any material issues of fact'" (Pullman v Silverman, 28 NY3d 1060,

1062 [2016], quoting Alvarez v Prospect Hosp., 68 NY2d 320,324 [1986]). "Failure to make

such showing requires denial of the motion, regardless of the sufficiency of the opposing papers"

(Winegrad v New York Univ. Med. Ctr., 64 NY2d 851, 853 [1985]). "Once such a prima facie

showing has been made, the burden shifts to the party opposing the motion to produce

evidentiary proof in admissible form sufficient to raise material issues of fact which require a

trial of the action" (Cabrera v Rodriguez, 72 AD3d 553, 553-54 [1st Dept 2010]).

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"The court's function on a motion for summary judgment is merely to determine if any

triable issues exist, not to determine the merits of any such issues or to assess credibility"

(Meridian Mgt. Corp. v Cristi Cleaning Serv. Corp., 70 AD3d 508, 510-11 [1st Dept 2010]

[internal citations omitted]). The evidence presented in a summary judgment motion must be

examined "in the light most favorable to the non-moving party" (Schmidt v One New York Plaza

Co. LLC, 153 AD3d 427,428 [2017], quoting Ortiz v Varsity Holdings, LLC, 18 NY3d 335, 339

[2011]) and bare allegations or conclusory assertions are insufficient to create genuine issues of

fact (Rotuba Extruders v Ceppos, 46 NY2d 223,231 [1978]). If there is any doubt as to the

existence of a triable fact, the motion for summary judgment must be denied (Rotuba Extruders

v Ceppos, 46 NY2d 223,231 [1978]).

Labor Law§ 241 (6) claim

Plaintiff argues that the Fulton defendants are liable under Labor Law § 241 (6) by

allowing work to be performed on a wet and slippery work surface, in violation of 12 NYCRR

23-1.7(d), which they had a non-delegable duty to maintain. The Fulton defendants oppose and

seek summary judgment in their favor, arguing that the work surface was not wet, and that even

if it was wet, the work surface was a non-slip concrete which was not slippery and thus cannot be

a violation of 12 NYCRR 23-1.7(d).

"Labor Law§ 241(6) is a 'hybrid' statute, as the first sentence reiterates the general

common-law standard of care, while the second sentence imposes a nondelegable duty with

respect to compliance with rules of the Commissioner which contain specific, positive

command[s]" (Bazdaric v Almah Partners LLC, 2024 NY Slip Op 00847 [Ct App Feb. 20,

2024]). "[A]n owner or general contractor is vicariously liable without regard to [their] fault, and

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even in the absence of control or supervision of the worksite, where a plaintiff establishes a

violation of a specific and applicable Industrial Code regulation" (id.).

Plaintiff argues that defendants violated 12 NYCRR 23-1. 7( d), "General Hazards,

slipping hazards", which provides:

Employers shall not suffer or permit any employee to use a floor, passageway, walkway, scaffold, platform or other elevated working surface which is in a slippery condition. Ice, snow, water, grease and any other foreign substance which may cause slippery footing shall be removed, sanded or covered to provide safe footing.

"To meet their summary judgment burden, plaintiff[] here [is] required to show that: (1)

section 23-1. 7( d) applied under the circumstances; (2) defendants ... violated that section's

specific commands; (3) this violation alone, or considered with other undisputed factual

evidence, constitutes negligence; and (4) the violation caused plaintiffs' injuries" (Bazdaric, 2024

NY Slip Op, at *3).

Here, plaintiff submits his own deposition testimony in support of his motion. Plaintiff

testified that there were puddles of water on the concrete floor he was working on, and that when

he was bending down to pick up a saw he slipped and fell because of the wet floor (NYSCEF

Doc No 81 at 24: 17 - 25:5; 47: 17 - 47:25; 59: 18 - 59: 19). In opposition to plaintiffs motion,

and in support of their own motion, Fulton defendants submit an affidavit from engineer Michael

Cronin who opines that the concrete floor plaintiff alleges he slipped on is known to not be a

slippery surface when wet, and thus would not be a "surface which is in a slippery condition"

under 12 NYCRR 23-1.7(d) (NYSCEF Doc No 91). Fulton defendants also submit an affidavit

by Steven Roberts, a certified meteorologist who opines that based on the meteorological data

from the days preceding plaintiffs accident it is unlikely that the concrete surface was wet on the

day of his accident. Mr. Roberts bases this opinion on his assertions that there had been no rain

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for the 36 hours preceding the accident and the relative humidity and temperature on the day of

the accident (NYSCEF Doc No 69). While Fulton defendants argue that a concrete floor is a

nonslip surface and cannot be in a slippery condition when wet, courts have previously found

"that [a] wet concrete floor ... was a slippery condition within the meaning of 12 NYCRR

23.1.7( d)" (Ennis v Noble Constr. Group, LLC, 207 AD3d 703, 705 [2d Dept 2022])

In light of the conflicting evidence as to whether the floor was slippery on the day of

plaintiffs accident a triable issue of fact as to whether the Fulton defendants violated 12

NYCRR 23-1.7(d). Accordingly, both plaintiffs and the Fulton defendants' motions for

summary judgment on plaintiffs Labor Law § 241 ( 6) claim will be denied.

Labor Law§ 240(1) claim

The Fulton defendants argue that summary judgment is appropriate on plaintiffs Labor

Law § 240(1) claim because plaintiffs alleged injury was not the result of an elevation-related

hazard. Plaintiff submits no opposition to this portion of the Fulton defendants' motion.

Labor Law §240(1) imposes upon owners and contractors a nondelegable duty to provide

proper and adequate safety devices so as to protect workers subject to elevation-related hazards.

(Torres v. Monroe College, 12 AD3d 261, [1st Dept 2004]). Here, it is undisputed that plaintiffs

injury was not the result of a difference in elevation. Accordingly, plaintiffs Labor Law § 240(1)

claim will be dismissed.

Labor Law§ 200 and common law negligence claim

Fulton Defendants argue that they are entitled to summary judgment in their favor on

plaintiffs Labor Law § 200 claim because they neither created the dangerous condition that

caused the accident or had actual or constructive notice of the dangerous condition that caused

the accident. Plaintiff opposes by arguing that there is a triable issue of fact concerning the

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Fulton defendant's notice of the allegedly dangerous condition since Pav Lak had employees on

site who had a duty to inspect and maintain the site in a safe condition.

"Section 200 codifies a landowner's duty to provide workers with a reasonably safe place

to work" (Lemache v MIP One Wall St. Acquisition, LLC, 190 AD3d 422,423 [1st Dept 2021]).

"Claims under the statute and common-law fall into two general categories: those arising from an

alleged defect or dangerous condition existing on the premises and those arising from the manner

in which the work was performed" (id.). "Where a premises condition is at issue, property

owners may be held liable for a violation of Labor Law § 200 if the owner either created the

dangerous condition that caused the accident or had actual or constructive notice of the

dangerous condition that caused the accident" ( Ortega v Puccia, 57 AD3d 54, 61 [2d Dept

2008]). "To provide constructive notice, a defect must be visible and apparent and it must exist

for a sufficient length of time prior to the accident to permit the defendants to discover and

remedy it" (Medina v La Fiura Dev. Corp., 69 AD3d 686, 686 [2d Dept 2010]). "To meet its

initial burden on the issue of lack of constructive notice, the defendant must offer some evidence

as to when the area in question was last cleaned or inspected relative to the time when the

plaintiff fell" (Islam v City of New York, 218 AD3d 449,450 [2d Dept 2023]). "Mere reference

to general cleaning and inspection practices is insufficient to establish a lack of constructive

notice" (id. at 451 ).

Here, the Fulton defendants submit the testimony of plaintiff who admits that he did not

notify any of the Fulton defendants' employees of the allegedly slippery condition. The Fulton

defendants also submit the testimony of Pav Lak senior project manager William McNiece who

states that he walks the job site regularly and that neither he nor any other of the Pav Lak

employees were notified of the allegedly dangerous condition. While, Fulton Defendants have

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established that they did not have actual notice of the alleged condition, viewing the evidence in

the light most favorable to plaintiff, they have not established that they lacked constructive

notice, since they did not show when the area was last cleaned or inspected, but rather merely

described the general inspection practices on the site (see Quigley v Port Auth. ofNY & NJ, 168

AD3d 65,68 [1 st Dept 2018]). Accordingly, that portion of the Fulton Defendant's motion

seeking summary judgment on plaintiffs Labor Law § 200 and common law negligence claims

will be denied.

CONCLUSION

Based on the foregoing, it is

ORDERED that plaintiffs motion for summary judgment (motion 001) on his Labor Law

§ 241 (6) claim is denied; and it is further

ORDERED that the portion of the Fulton Defendant's motion for summary judgment on

plaintiffs Labor Law§ 240(1) claim is granted and that claim is dismissed as against them; and

it is further

ORDERED that the portion of the Fulton Defendant's motion for summary judgment on

plaintiffs Labor Law § 241 (6), Labor Law § 200, and common law negligence claims is denied.

5/15/2024 DATE PAUL A. GOETZ, J.S.C.

~ CHECK ONE: CASE DISPOSED NON-FINAL DISPOSITION

GRANTED □ DENIED GRANTED IN PART □ OTHER APPLICATION: SETTLE ORDER SUBMIT ORDER

CHECK IF APPROPRIATE: INCLUDES TRANSFER/REASSIGN FIDUCIARY APPOINTMENT □ REFERENCE

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