Sweeney v. City of New York

4 Misc. 3d 834, 782 N.Y.S.2d 537, 2004 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 713
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMay 24, 2004
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 4 Misc. 3d 834 (Sweeney v. City of New York) 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
Sweeney v. City of New York, 4 Misc. 3d 834, 782 N.Y.S.2d 537, 2004 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 713 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Mark Partnow, J.

Defendants Reicon Group LLC and Reinauer Transportation Companies, L.P move for summary judgment pursuant to CPLR 3212 dismissing all causes of action against them.

On April 17, 2001, plaintiff was allegedly employed as a dock builder by Reicon, a marine construction contractor, and was working as a dive tender aboard the CB Bergen, a stationary work barge owned by Reinauer, in connection with a pier demolition/rehabilitation contract Reicon was performing for the City of New York at the Department of Sanitation Marine Transfer Station located at 31st Avenue in College Point, New York. While plaintiff was throwing a line to the marine diver he was assisting, he slipped and fell forward, injuring his left knee and hand. He testified at his deposition that he slipped because the deck of the vessel was “wet” and “slippery” from either rain that fell that day, hydraulic fluid and/or diesel oil that spilled on the deck, and/or water that had accumulated in the area from the tool retrieval line he had thrown to the diver “numerous” times.

Plaintiff commenced the instant action against the City of New York, Reicon, and Reinauer alleging violations of Labor Law § 240 (1), §§ 200 and 241 (6) against all defendants, and violations of 33 USC § 905 (b) and § 933 (the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act [LHWCA]) against Reicon and Reinauer for “vessel negligence.” In his bill of particulars, plaintiff alleges that “because of the absence of a functional non-skid coating on the deck of the vessel, the deck was rendered additionally slippery, hazardous and unsafe . . . .”

In support of their motion to dismiss the complaint insofar as asserted against them, defendants argue that plaintiff’s LH-WCA claim is barred by the exclusive remedy of workers’ compensation payments, which plaintiff received from Reinauer’s workers’ compensation insurer (see 33 USC §§ 904, 905 [a]). Defendants also contend that Reinauer is not liable to plaintiff under the LHWCA for negligence of the vessel pursuant to 33 USC § 905 (b) because it was not negligent in its capacity as vessel owner.

“Pursuant to the LHWCA, a maritime worker injured in the course of employment is entitled to workers’ compensation [836]*836benefits from his or her employer” (Sutherland v City of New York, 266 AD2d 373, 377 [1999]; 33 USC § 904). “A claim for compensation benefits is the worker’s exclusive remedy against the employer” (id. at 377). However, under section 905 (b) of the LHWCA, an injured maritime worker may maintain an action against a vessel owner for its negligence (id.; 33 USC § 905 [b]).1 “Thus, where the employer and the vessel owner are independent entities, the worker may obtain the statutory benefits from his or her employer and also recover damages resulting from the owner’s negligence, subject to a worker’s compensation lien” (id. at 377). In addition,

“[i]n Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. v Pfeifer (462 US 523), the United States Supreme Court held that 33 USC § 905 (b) authorizes a negligence action against a vessel even where . . . the owner is also the worker’s employer. In a footnote, the Court stated that the statute makes it clear that under such circumstances, the vessel owner is liable only for negligence in its owner capacity, not for negligence in its employer capacity” (id. at 377, citing Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp., 462 US at 531 n 6).

“In determining whether the provisions of the LHWCA may be invoked, an employer must establish that the injured party was engaged in maritime employment at the time of the injury and that he was performing these duties on navigable waters” (Colamarino v City of New York, 166 AD2d 404, 406 [1990]). Here, plaintiff alleges, and it is undisputed, that he was an “employee” within the meaning of the LHWCA at the time the accident occurred (see, 33 USC § 902 [3]). In this regard, plaintiff testified that at the time of the incident he was aiding a marine diver who was building a dock, which is a traditional maritime activity (see McDonald v City of New York, 231 AD2d 556, 557 [1996]). Moreover, plaintiff was performing his duties on navigable waters since the vessel was resting in a river bed secured by large pipes through its hull and “soft lines” for extra security.

As to the viability of plaintiffs cause of action pursuant 33 USC § 905 (b), as noted, defendants argue that, as plaintiff’s employers, their liability under the LHWCA is limited to pay[837]*837ment of workers’ compensation benefits to plaintiff. In support of their claim that they are plaintiff’s employers, defendants argue that plaintiff pleaded in his verified complaint that he was employed by both defendants at the time of the accident. Defendants also assert that immunity under the LHWCA applies based upon their parent/subsidiary relationship, which establishes that they acted as a “single entity.”

As an initial matter, as plaintiff properly recognizes, even assuming Reinauer is found to be his employer, liability may nevertheless lie against Reinauer based upon its status as owner of the barge pursuant to section 905 (b) of the LHWCA. In any event, on the merits, a question of fact exists as to whether Reinauer was plaintiffs employer. First, it is true that plaintiff pleaded in his verified complaint that he was employed by both defendants when the accident occurred, which constitutes a conclusive judicial admission (People v Brown, 98 NY2d 226, 232-233 [2002]; Stauber v Brookhaven Natl. Lab., 256 AD2d 570, 571 [1998]; Prince, Richardson on Evidence § 216 [Farrell 11th ed]). In this regard, if a party makes an untrue admission in his pleadings or enters into a false stipulation of facts through inadvertence or mistake, the court will generally grant permission to amend the pleading or withdraw the stipulation on good cause and in the furtherance of justice. However, courts are reluctant to grant such relief when the opposing party, having relied or acted upon the formal judicial admission, would thereby be prejudiced (5 Bender’s New York Evidence § 16.06). Here, plaintiff does not assert that he made an untrue admission, nor has he moved to amend the complaint. Nevertheless, there is no indication that defendants have relied or acted upon this admission to their prejudice. In addition, the record reveals that a question of fact exists as to whether Reinauer is plaintiffs employer. For the foregoing reasons, and in the exercise of its interest of justice jurisdiction, the court declines to ascribe dis-positive import to these statements.

As to whether Reinauer is plaintiff’s employer, immunity under the LHWCA, which is based upon this State’s Workers’ Compensation Law, applies “ ‘whether the relationship between two corporate entities is that of joint venturers, parent and subsidiary, corporate affiliates, or general and special employers’ ” (Claudio v United States, 907 F Supp 581, 587 [1995], quoting Levine v Lee’s Pontiac, 203 AD2d 259 [1994]). In particular, “the coordinated activity of a parent and its wholly owned subsidiary” has been likened to the “activity of a single enterprise” [838]*838(id. at 588). “Generally, a parent corporation may be deemed to be the employer of an employee of a subsidiary corporation for workers’ compensation purposes if the subsidiary functions merely as the alter ego of the parent” (Ploszaj v Cooper Tank & Welding Corp., 213 AD2d 385, 386 [1995]).

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Bluebook (online)
4 Misc. 3d 834, 782 N.Y.S.2d 537, 2004 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 713, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sweeney-v-city-of-new-york-nysupct-2004.