Building Owner Entitled to Summary Judgment in Slip and Fall Case Based Upon Tracked In Water (Inclement Weather)–Tenant Ordinarily Does Not Have a Duty of Care Re: Common Areas

The Second Department determined the building owner was entitled to summary judgment in a slip and fall case based upon water tracked in during inclement weather.  The court noted that a tenant does not have a duty of care with respect to the condition of common areas of the building:

“In a slip-and-fall case, the defendant moving for summary judgment has the burden of demonstrating, prima facie, that it did not create the alleged hazardous condition or have actual or constructive notice of its existence for a sufficient length of time to discover and remedy it” … . Moreover, a property owner is not obligated to provide a constant remedy to the problem of water being tracked into a building during inclement weather …, and has no obligation to cover all of its floors with mats or to continuously mop up all moisture resulting from tracked-in precipitation … . A tenant ordinarily owes no duty of care with respect to a dangerous condition in a common area of a building … .

The owner and the tenant, on their respective motions, established their prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law dismissing the complaint insofar as asserted against each of them. In support of their motions, the owner and the tenant each presented evidence that it had not created the alleged defective condition. The owner also presented evidence that it had neither actual nor constructive notice of the alleged defective condition, i.e., the alleged presence of water on the vestibule floor of the subject building. Paduano v 686 Forest Ave LLC, 2014 NY Slip Op 05415, 2nd Dept 7-23-14