Drake v 107-145 West 135th St. Assocs.

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Drake v 107-145 West 135th St. Assocs. 2012 NY Slip Op 30745(U) March 23, 2012 Sup Ct, New York County Docket Number: 104885/08 Judge: Debra A. James Republished from New York State Unified Court System's E-Courts Service. Search E-Courts (http://www.nycourts.gov/ecourts) for any additional information on this case. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. ANNED ON 312712012 [* 1] SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK - NEW YORK COUNTY PART 59 DEBRA A. JAMES PRESENT: Justice I30RINDA D P J K E , Index No.: Plair-itiff , Motion Date: -v1 0 7 - 1 4 5 WEST 1 5 " 3' STREET ASSOCIATES, r q c ) P m ' t ' Y MANAGEMENT, ELEVATOR I N C , mc, UNITED 104885108 10/25/11 Motion Seq. No.: OP 002 Motion Cal No.: STATES Defendants. The following papers, numbered 1 to 4 were read on this motion for summary judgment Notice of Motion/-Affidavits -Exhibits I PAPERS NUMBERED " Answering Affidavits - Exhibits Replying Affidavits - Exhibits I 4 MAR 2" 20112 Cross-Motion: 0 Yes No NEW YORK (:c-J(JW'f CLEIiKS OFFICE Upon the foregoing papers, T h e TnoLioii o f defendants 107-145 West 135L" S t r e e t Associates arid OE) P r o p c r t y Management, LLC for summary judgment di.sniissi1-igthe cornpl airit shall be d e n i e d . DetEindant.s 10'7-145 West 135th S t - r e e t Associates (Weat. 135) ant3 OE) P r o p c r t y Managerrient , LLC ( O P ) defendant-s) ( t o g e t h e r , moving move, p u r s u a n t . to CPLR 3212, for summary judgment clioraissinq t l i c c n m p l dint asserted 2s a g a i n s t them and f o r surnrnar-y Judgment or1 their c r o s s clairn a s s e r - t e d as against c o - d e f e n d a n t United St.atEt.c; Elevator In(::. ( U S E ) This Check One: act.io11 a i - i s e s out. O C . an a c c ! i d e n t t h a t . occurred on E FINAL DISPOSITION l Check if appropriate: DO NOT POST NON-FINAL DISPOSITION REFERENCE [* 2] 2 [* 3] e v e r performeC a n y r c p a i rs on t.lie elcva tor. The moving d e ¬ e n d a n t . s a s s e r t t h a t t h e y c o l t - r a c t e d w i t h USE \Lo p e r f o r i n ro\.~i.ii-ie service and r p p a i rs f o r t-he e l e v a t o r s on t.he premises, on a mont.t1-to-moI?t.11 basis, whi1.e USE w d s p e r f o r m j nq under ct cont:ract. f o r t h e m o d e r n j zation ar-1~3repair of the c 1 e v a i . o ~ - s o~n t.he p r e m i s e s . thai-. as a r c j u e d hy U S E , However t.he c o u r t n o t e s t . h e contraci: appended t.0 \.he moving pclpcr.~was b e t w c c n OP and Unit.ed E l e v a t o r Company o f Weymoui.h, (IJLC Wcyrri(:)uth) , a rionpar'ty t o t h i s a c t i o n , a n d Massachuset.t:.s s t a i.ed t h a t t.lne w u r k t o be perfor-rned thereunder w a s "El e v a t o r Modcrnj. zat.ion/Modi f i cd I i o n : ; : W I . T h e movant s h a v e p r o d u c e d n o " i.!iten c o n t r a c t : . b e t w c c r i I.hem.sel v e s clnd U S E . C~CC-LIr e d r The incident w h i l e UEC Weymout.h was under c o n t r a c t f o r {:.he i n o d e r n i zaLio1-i of the e l e v a t - o r - s . Wi.1 liarn S m i t . h , the CEO o ¬ U S E , d e p o s i t ; n n !:haL acknowledged a t h i s IJSE w a : j oiisi.te, p e r f o r m i n g work u n d e r i 1.s a y r - e e r r ~ n tw i t h 1.JEC: Weymout.11 t o f u l . f i l l UEC Weymouth' s general. r o n s i . . I u ct i o n s c r v i c'es cont.ra(:iI and t.he month-to-month mai riteriar-ice and r c p a i r agrcemer-it , t.hroucjh t h e date o f t h e acc:idcnt., .Srnii.h's tc.5t.i rrioriy w a s based, in p a r t , or1 work C i c l ~ ~ t.hat. s h o w i l - i a t . USE was performing m a i n t e n a n c e ts 01-1 t.hc e l e v a t o r t.hat. is t h e subject o f t.his 1 i . t . i y a t . i o n five days a n d OIIC day p r i 01 i:o the acciiderit . Tn addit.ic:,r-I, S m i t h stated t - h a t 3 [* 4] \:he b u i l d i i i y ::~iper i riI.ei-icient h a d a key t o t h e c l e v a l - o r m a c h i n e rcicim 1 o(.:al:ed abclve tl-ie e l e v a t o r s h a f t , w h i c h was not. U S E S p ~ o p ~ r L y . e s t a t c . d under o a t h t.hat t h e e l e v a t o r h a d H p r c v i o u s l y been slhiut clown because of vai-idalisrn. S m i t h t . e s i . i I i e d t . h a t . USE .c; r n a i n t c n a n c e w o r k on the c l . e v a L o r w a s spc?radi(-:because of rionpayment, and t h a t IJSE e v c ! n t u a l l y left-. th (2 p ro je c t. LI e (-: a 1.1se c)f ri ( 1-1pa ymc n t.. I Sn1it.h ide1nt.i I i e d t h e piece t h a t allegedly f e l l o n p l . a i . r L . i I f as (3 fascl.i.a, or c l i ~ s t cover, t . h a t i.s used t o protect 1.he e i c v a t o i - d(..,or equipmcrit. f roin people s t i c k i n g t h e i r hands j.1) t.tie s h a f t door e q u i prnei-it, wl-iich i n c l . u d e s t h c t r a c k dnd 1.0ck of t h e e l e v a t o r . career. a s :in S r n i t k f u r t - h e r averred that, during h i s e l c v a t - o r t.echi-iic:,ian, h e h a d o n l y sccn a f a s c i a d i s l o d c j c during a traumatic d o o r wreck, wherej.n a s i g n i f i c a n t [* 5] 5 [* 6] 6 [* 7] Thc OWI-ICL- of c'l m u l t . i p 1 e d w e l l i n g o w c s a d u t y t.o persons or-1 i t s p r e m i s e s t.o m a i n t a i n Lhem in a red:~;oi-iahly safe c o n d i t i n n ( M u l t i p l e Dwelling L a w 5 i U ) . 'I'his duty i s i i o n d e l e g a b l c 3 n d a party i n j u r e d b y the c ~ w i - i e r ' s f a i l u r e t.o f u l f i l l i t may recover f r o m the i.iwn I'z even t.h i)u (3t1 t. t i e 1.e spon si b i 1i t y f o r m a i II ena rire I' t hals brc!n t r a n s f c r r e d t o a n o t . t i e r . 7 [* 8] Dwel l i n g L a w S: 7 8 , A133cl 216, 219 LI~I i n j u r e d p l a i n t i f f must present evidence (-L"' Dcpt 300'/) ( j t i t e r n a l c i t . c l t i 0 n . z o m i t t e d ) : In o r d e r t o h o l d a l a n d c i w n e r l i a b l e f o r a dangerous ~.:cjriditi~:)n c ~ r i its pren-ii s e s , a pl.aint.iff must d e m ) s h r. a t. t.1 LI t t 1-1 cl e fe 1-1d 11 e j t.I1 e r c: rea t cd , o r 11 a d 1-1 e e t 1 . ;icCi.ial or constructive n o t i c e of the hazardous However, c o n d i l . i ( - i n whic::h p r e c i p i t . a t e d t h e i n jury. n o t i c e a1 cinc: i s r-ioIr e n o u y h ; t . h e p l a i n t i f f m u s t also s k i o w 1:hai:. d c f c n d a n t . h a d 'a s u f f i c i c n t o p p o r t u n i t y , witl-i.iri t.hc! e x e r c i s e o f reasonable c a r e , t o remedy t h e si 1. I I a t.i o n a 1t-. e r 1: c:: c c i v i nq s 1.1 rl-i n o t ice . Moving d e f e n d a n t s ;ire c o r r e r t . t - h a t t h e record a t b a r i s d e v o i d 01 a n y c v i d e n c e t.hat. movinq d e f e n d a n t s c r e a t - e d t h e t h a t niu1t.i plc. corripl a i n t s had k7eer-i macle r e y a r d i n g t.hc c o n c l i t i o r i c o n s t r u c t i v e n o t . i c e , i.1-]ere niuzt. he e v i d e n c e t-hat. movincj 8 [* 9] w h i c h r a u s e d 1-11d i n t i f f ' .s j . n j u r y , they may s t i l l be he1.d l i a b l e 1.c p1,iini. i . f f 1 ~ i i d e t.he d o c t r i n e ~- of res i p s a 1 . o q u i t u r . .Subrnis:;io~n of a c:clse 011 ilhe theory ojf res i p s a l o q i i i t - u r i s warranted o n l y when the p l a i n t i f ¬ c a n esl.al)l.i.sh three+ clemer-ll:s: (1.) the event m u s t be o f a k i . r i d whicl-1 o r d i n a r i l y d o c s riot occ:ur i n t h e a b s e n c e o f ~ o i i i ~ i n l i e ' sr i e g l i g e n c e ; ( 2 ) i t must h e caused b y a n aijcricy OL i nstrurner1t.a 1 i t . y w i t h i n the e x c l u s i v e control of t.ic c I e f e n d a i - l L ; ( 3 ) i t m u s t not. h a v e b e e n due t o a n y v o l iui-itary a c t i o n or contril:)11t.i(3n on t h e p a r t of the plai ntifr. T i l e tc.stirriorly il?: S m i t h , defendant USE'S p r i n c i p a l , that- wre(:.?k" i n v o l v i n q c s i g n i f i c a r l t . i m p a c t o r force would d i s l o d g e i t h p f 8 3 s i . i a r a i s e s an izisue w i t . 1 1 respect. t . o the first p L o n g of 9 [* 10] [* 11] for-ce l.1-1at w o u l d h a v e wrecked t . h c e l e v a t . c ? r d o o r . 11 As h e l d i 11 [* 12] 12 [* 13] sumnary j udgmcrit. 011 the cross-claim i s n o t warranted because even assurni.ng t h e moviny d e f e n d a n t s have established that they are free from a c t i v e n c g l i y e n c c , they have n o t sustained their burden tu est.ablisl1prima f a c i e t h a t USE w a s n e g l i g e n t and t h a t i t s n e g l i g e n c e contributed t.o t h e accident.. R o g e r s v Dorchester, 32 NY%d 553 (1973). A c c o r d i n g i y , i t is ORDERED t h a t t h c b r a n c h of 1 0 7 - 1 4 5 West 135t" S t r e e t : A s s o c i a t - c s arid O P Management , LLC' s rnotion for summary judgment d i s m i s s i n g the c o r n p l a i n t a s asserted against them i s d e n i e d ; and it i s f u r t - h e r ORDERED t h a t thc branch of 107-145 West 135'-'' t r e e t S Associates and OP Management, LLC's motion seeking summary judgment gr-ant.ir-lg them conditional contractual indemnification from Uiiited States Elevator I n c . is denied; and it. i s f u r t - h e r ORDERED that the parties a r e d i r e c t e d t o attend a pre-trial c o n f c r e n c e at I A S P a r t 5 9 , a t Room 103, 7 1 Thomas S t r e e t , New Yor-k, NY 10013 on April 24, 2 0 1 2 , a t 2 : 3 0 P.M. This i s t h e decision and o r d e r of t h e court. Dated: March 2 3 , 2 0 1 2 ENTER : DERRA A. JAMES NEW YORK W)lJNTY CLERKS OFFICE 12 J.S. C.

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