Harris v Brooklyn Hosp. Ctr.

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Harris v Brooklyn Hosp. Ctr. 2020 NY Slip Op 35432(U) December 15, 2020 Supreme Court, Kings County Docket Number: Index No. 514791/2018 Judge: Reginald A. Boddie 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. 514791/2018 FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 12/21/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/24/2020 At· n I.A.S. Part 95 of the Sup,·eme · ourt · th 'lal.c of I ew York, held in and fm• ti e ounty of Kings, at the Courthouse, loc,awd at 360 d m • lruct, Borough of Brooklyn. City and Ult o e York on the I5th day of IDecem ber 2020. I: Reginald . Boddie uprem Court fas ·ce J, .RD M THE HARRI Index o. · 1 791 01 ' al. o. 17 M l Plaintiff. DE ISION A D ORD R -against- THE r O KL I JOSPITAl CE T R, Defendant. R itation as required by PLR 2 ] 1 a). o, h papers considered in th . vi w r lhi moEion; U n the foregoing cited paper d . fi nd· t P R 212, j • dedded as fo]]ows.: motion for summary judgm,enl pursu nt to Pla.intiff,commenced thi action again ·t d fondant o reco er for persona] injuri s aUcgedly sustained on A pri I 26, 201 7, at app1· 'm l ly 10: 15 am, as a result of an assau It nd batt ry on th premises of the Brooklyn Ho pitai nt r Wom n's Heahh CHnic (BH perm d and ontroU ed the ·ubj t prem1 • Plaintiff all AM d h arri ed wi h hi girlfri d Kiara Ford. at BHC at appro im r an ultr~ ound appointment for · · . F rd. pro ima ly fi t I 9:0 en minute afL r arri al .BH p r onnel caUed pJa.intiff and Ms. · rd int th , am room and asked Ms. ord t. 1v a urin ·ample. Ms. Ford w,ent to the bad1room and upon her return to the exam room, inform ·d 1 [* 1] 1 of 5 INDEX NO. 514791/2018 FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 12/21/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/24/2020 Mr. Harri t.hat ... . . as verbaUy a , auhing [her] for waking .. . im th bathroom a y without her kn , ing lh t om hod was in th . Pl.aintiffall doctor when h o e that he and re: s. Ford · , nt b _k into the rv,ed a non-party patie1 t aitin, 1111 aw . Williams) ••pointing [al M . ' rd] . . . on the body about [her] ." Plaintiff further alleged that heap phone talking t . . .. d Ms. • and Ms .. Ford Wi Jiams and tri1edl 'to diffuse the situation by 1U t t Un , h r it's not that 0 d"d not intend t intrud . Th ait or the ·chang erup& d inl,o houting ,.vitlh ·. Will' m LH~ mg ·i ni r alkd security. BHC urit personnel arrived inc]uding Manager and e• ur.ity fficer Elvin Cruz. s. Eve Moulden, BH • mbulatory Care · fi r · ruz questioned plainfff nd · parated him and Ms. Ford from M ·. Wi liams by placing h min a room next to the waj ing room. Ms. 1 d th staffto 11 i Ham from th prem,se at the • d he informed the otll r n at least three occasion that M ·. Williams threatene<l ..sh w . going to have somebod . c n up there and assault [him] , . . [so] that they n h lookout: omc r oing to h .ppen and I ft that room a coupl minutes'· follow:iing th · · rbal , ltercation. Plaintiff alll . d h . .1. "tlte i uation as ,ontained ause l[he] told the urit , ruard a couple of times." Approxim .t ly forty minutes after th v rb· I alter-cation, and fi leen 1 inutes alter Officer Cruz separated th m r m Ms . Williams, with pWamntiff. P a·ntiff and . \ Hliam . Ford foUo . d nr red their room and . Wil iams. out the room and inoo the main 1 bb . PlaintiffaUe,ged that h b i ed 2 [* 2] 2 of 5 s. iman ··ant d to speak m mg room to po o,gize. INDEX NO. 514791/2018 FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 12/21/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/24/2020 in the lobb , plaintiff obs l'gh -skinned m.al.e with a goate wh -ed s _rung t him veral times causing personal ii ~u ie . h ad endant moved for summary judgm nt pursuant to CPLR 3212, to dismis th com laint n th _grounds that pfaintiff cann t • t ~ I' h th ,t BH faHe to e rd car or th 1 an . · ction or inaction on th pan r BJ I ri , a the proximate cause of th pi intifr .njury. Pl .n HT 1p 1sed_ ummary judgment is a: drastic rem -d] doubt _ the e is ·ence of a triable issue ( nd hould not b granted wlte11c h re i an , Zu k rman v City of New York, 4 Y2d 7, 562 [198OJ). A party moving for summaf)1 j ud m _nt must make a prima fad showing f fact, entitl m nt but om: · prim ., fac~e bowing has b en mad th bu en hifts to the party oppo ing th 1 mof n to produc iden1 iruy proof in admi ibl rial of the acfon (Winegrad •, , .York, f] 9851· Z" k rman, 49 r1i11. Med ·,,.. 64 - · 2d ,851 3 · 2d at 562). 'T prevail on a cause of action a1legin n gligence, a plaintiff must e tabli h th existcn a 1 gal duty, a breac.h of that duty pr imate causation, and damages' (P quarctto v lonf? l ·. ni ·. l 06 AD3d 794, 795 [2d D -1 2 ] . •' hospital. like any oth r r own r h I dut to protect persons ]a, run , p - -nt ,on it premises includin isitors from thd·ca onabl forc.scea.blc riminal r Long L. Med: tr.. Inc. 81 rty . nt . an ni.ous a ts of third person - (Ro ton , 03d 806 807 (2d D t 2QH ]I" citing aJulra d. f. Lr,k ' Roos -v II Hop. 'tr.. 33 AD3d 875, 878 [2d D · · 2 06] ·. [T]he scope of [that] duty · i. d fin d by pa t , p ri:-nce and the ]ikelihood of on u ·t n the part ofthird person .. . whi hi li . cly to endang r th - _afel of the visitor' " (Pit-1k v Rome Youth Hockey Ass ·n. Inc., 28 NY d 94 3 [* 3] 3 of 5 INDEX NO. 514791/2018 FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 12/21/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/24/2020 998 [2016]. quot' g 7allan v Helm ley-Spear, In·. 50 NY2d 507,519 [1 - 0 [citation omitted]), ~ fharm that are reason b ly . . 2d 247 2 -. - [ 002n i tion omitted]!). Thu re. ab .e' (San,·hez i • tat.e of 1eJ York, 99 pre ail on wnmary ju gm -n~ ~ h 'opital as 1, defendant. must d m n r-at that the alleged as · il nt s conduct -,;,vas n t fl ~~abl,e to them and that the conduct of· . lh.ir _ person was not likely t . ndanger the vis!tor~ . Y3d at 998; 'e al.-o Williams v Bayley Seton Hosp. 112 AD3d 917, 91 y (. ee Pinki 28 [2d Dept 2013]). Here def ndant argued that it a1j fl • h duty and m tit prim f: · burd n by proffering Offic -r he offending pa ti argued that the all n _parate moms foHo in th v rbaJ altercation. D urit -.;ee William." n ant further d a ailanfs conduct wa not foreseeab]e to them by pr ffering plaintiff's t stimony in which nttllth d ho. pis I r,ri tocol b • pla ing ru verred that he, ·as wining t • po ogiz-e to uard tha . h . was a11 s. WUliam and that he did d. Th refm , defendant m it prim a ·ie burden 12 03 917 at '918). In oppo "ti n plaintiff argued BCH was on notice that Ms. Wil iam h d threatened to summon the a. sa:i] nt to the hospital, the situaf n '"'a ongoing, and B II had a continuing duty to pm ect plaint' ff. Pla'ntiff a erred, •• ] t Id th urity guard ihat h going lo ha e om bod _ome up th re. I just m d ure that I told him a fl id that she was \I tim ~n assuming plainti r rai · _d a triable is ue o that I felt Jike om tiling was going to happ n." fact as to wh ther th a ·-·ailanfs conduct was · r ab e and likely to ndanger his safety (Pink, 28 NY3d at 998), pJaindff has failed to ra· a 'tr1 lei. ue of fact a to wh th eions broke th u Jn 1 m in liable for all n rm land foreseeable r cts, an intervc frn act ii const tute a sup r din 4 [* 4] hi intervening u . . between d fi nd nf n gligence an h" injuri .. tabli hed that whil a party conse.quence.s o hL r so he kne · 4 of 5 ause and wil] INDEX NO. 514791/2018 FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 12/21/2020 NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 12/24/2020 rve to relic - th l party ofliability when th ti of such an lr rd-nary nature or so n ibHity for h inj u.ry ma not tt _nuates that party's conduct rom the ulti ma be reasonably -ttributed to that party;; (Pry.m k v Metropolitan 'J'ransp_ Auth., 2 1 02d 308 0 [2d Dept 1998]~ itmg e D rdiarian having been Ii Confr. Corp. -1 2d 308 [ I 980]). Here, p rated from Ms. \ViHiams and av rring that h lea:re-d Ms. Wini '.Ummon an as 'lanr, pfainti f m in lobb i F; ,I owed her out r ihe room past the waiting ar would nd into the h encouut red the , ailant. D pite plaintiW argnm nt that d .fend.an alJowcd Ms. W'llif ms unfeu- r d access to him \oVhil.e he was in th pr·vate room, his conduct of o unrari1I foJ \'·ng her out int th _ lobb.. in"uries it c.ru.m t. b . aid laintiff m_11une ttenuates defon ant's condu t fr m pJaintiWs d , re ttributabJ ndant' ne Iig noe, · an (," e Prysock 51 NY2d at 309). ocordingly defend nt motion for · wnmary judgm nt i g:r nteclL E TER: Hon. Justice 5 [* 5] 5 of 5 A eoDO\uoN. REG\NALD · 0 J.S.C. . Boddie up me Court

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