Vega v. Metropolitan Tr. Auth.

2024 NY Slip Op 32949(U)
CourtNew York Supreme Court, New York County
DecidedAugust 20, 2024
DocketIndex No. 451813/2018
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2024 NY Slip Op 32949(U) (Vega v. Metropolitan Tr. Auth.) 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
Vega v. Metropolitan Tr. Auth., 2024 NY Slip Op 32949(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2024).

Opinion

Vega v Metropolitan Tr. Auth. 2024 NY Slip Op 32949(U) August 20, 2024 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 451813/2018 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. FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 08/20/2024 04:04 PM INDEX NO. 451813/2018 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 127 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 08/20/2024

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK NEW YORK COUNTY PRESENT: HON. DAVID B. COHEN PART 58 Justice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X INDEX NO. 451813/2018 CARLOS VEGA, MOTION DATE 12/12/2023 Plaintiff, MOTION SEQ. NO. 002 003 -v- METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY, MTA CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, TUTOR PERINI DECISION + ORDER ON CORPORATION, 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, 85, 87, 89, 91, 93, 94, 95, 99, 100, 103, 104, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 114, 115, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT - SUMMARY .

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 003) 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 88, 90, 92, 96, 97, 98, 101, 102, 105, 106, 113, 116, 123, 124 were read on this motion to/for DISMISS .

In this Labor Law action, defendants/third-party plaintiffs Metropolitan Transportation

Authority s/h/a Metropolitan Transit Authority (the MTA), the MTA Capital Construction

Company (the MTACC) and Tutor Perini Corporation (Tutor Perini) (collectively movants)

move: 1) pursuant to CPLR 3212 (mot. seq. 002), for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s

claims against them pursuant to Labor Law §§ 200 (common-law negligence), 240(1), and

241(6); and 2) for summary judgment pursuant to CPLR 3212 on their third-party claim for

contractual indemnification against third-party defendant Rebar Steel Corporation (RSC).

Plaintiff opposes the motion and cross-moves, pursuant to CPLR 3212, for summary judgment

on his Labor Law § 240(1) claim.

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In motion sequence 003, RSC moves, pursuant to CPLR 3212, for summary judgment

dismissing the complaint, as well as the third-party claims asserted by the MTA, MTACC, and

Tutor Perini against it for common-law and contractual indemnification and breach of contract.

Plaintiff opposes the motion.

I. BACKGROUND

This case arises from an incident on December 11, 2017 in which plaintiff, a laborer

employed by RSC, was allegedly injured while loading bundles of rebar onto the bed of a truck

at the Amityville Yard, located at 29-85 Northern Boulevard in Queens, New York (the yard).

The yard, owned by the MTA and/or MTACC, was a staging area for materials being used for an

MTA tunnel project.

In April 2016, Tutor Perini was hired by the MTA and/or the MTACC to build caverns

and tracks for the East Side Access Project connecting the Long Island Railroad to Grand Central

Station (the project). That same month, Tutor Perini subcontracted with RSC to cut, bend and

install reinforcing steel at the yard; the subcontract identified MTACC as owner of the project

and Tutor Perini as the general contractor. Although plaintiff alleges in his statement of

undisputed facts that “the MTA” owned the site and movants admitted same in their response,

the only documentation submitted with the motions regarding the ownership of the site was the

said subcontract.

Paragraph 4 of the subcontract provided, inter alia, that RSC agreed

[t]o the fullest extent allowed by New York Law, to indemnify, defend and save harmless [the MTACC and Tutor Perini] and their officers, employees, consultants and agents from and against any and all claims, debts, demands, damages, judgments, awards, losses, liabilities, including but not limited to vicarious liability, interest, attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses of any kind at any time arising out of or in any way connected with [RSC’s] performance or failure to perform the Subcontract work, or the acts or omissions of [RSC]…except that this provision does not require that [RSC] indemnify [Tutor Perini] from loss, damage, expense, liability or other potential or incurred debt under this

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provision caused by [Tutor Perini’s] negligence or willful misconduct or that [RSC] indemnify [the MTACC] from loss, damage, expense, liability or other potential or incurred debt under this provision caused by [the MTACC’s] negligence or willful misconduct.

Paragraph 5(D)(1) required RSC to procure insurance for the contractor and other parties

set forth in exhibit B, and to provide labor to move materials inside the tunnels.

On July 25, 2019, plaintiff commenced the captioned action by filing a summons and

complaint in Supreme Court, Bronx County, and the parties thereafter stipulated to move the

venue of the action to New York County. In his complaint, plaintiff alleged claims for

common-law negligence and violations of Labor Law §§ 200, 240(1) and 241(6). The movants

joined issue by filing an answer denying the allegations in the complaint and thereafter

commenced a third-party action against RSC for, inter alia, common-law indemnification and

contribution (first cause of action), contractual indemnification (second cause of action), and

breach of contract for failure to provide insurance (fourth cause of action). RSC then filed an

answer to the third-party complaint and counterclaimed against MTA, MTACC and Tutor

A. Plaintiff’s 50-h Testimony

At his 50-h hearing, plaintiff testified that his work at the yard on the day of the incident

was related to the project. Rebar was stored at the yard so that it could be bent into proper shape

to be installed in the tunnel, and it could not be brought directly into the tunnel before it was

bent. As of the time of the accident, plaintiff had spent about 3 weeks working in the tunnel and

about 2 weeks working in the yard.

At the time of the accident, plaintiff was standing on the bed of a flatbed truck, about five

to six feet above the ground, while an RSC coworker lowered a bundle of rebar onto the truck

bed with a forklift. As the rebar was lowered from a height of 20-25 feet, “it jumped up” and

plaintiff’s right leg and foot became pinched between the rebar and the truck. As he tried to

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move the rebar off of his leg, it moved and struck him in the chest, knocking him backwards off

of the bed of the truck, and he fell to the ground.

According to plaintiff, although rebar should be strapped with two metal cables and a tag

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Bluebook (online)
2024 NY Slip Op 32949(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vega-v-metropolitan-tr-auth-nysupctnewyork-2024.