Summary-Judgment Proof Requirements for a Defendant in a Slip and Fall Case Explained (Again)–Not Met Here

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, again stated the summary-judgment proof requirements for a defendant in a slip and fall case:

In a slip-and-fall case, a defendant moving for summary judgment has the initial burden of making a prima facie showing that it did not create the condition on which the plaintiff slipped, and did not have actual or constructive notice of that condition … . To constitute constructive notice, a dangerous condition must be visible and apparent and must exist for a sufficient length of time before the accident to permit the defendant to discover and remedy it … . To meet its burden on the issue of constructive notice, a defendant “must offer some evidence as to when the area in question was last cleaned or inspected relative to the time when the plaintiff fell” … . Mere reference to general cleaning practices, with no evidence regarding any specific cleaning or inspection of the area in question, is insufficient to establish a lack of constructive notice … . Arcabascia v We”re Assoc Inc, 2015 NY Slip Op 01595, 2nd Dept 2-25-15