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Sidewalk Dropoff Was a Trivial Defect

The Third Department determined the sidewalk defect which allegedly caused plaintiff to fall was trivial and, therefore, not actionable:

“An owner will not be liable . . . for negligent maintenance by reason of trivial defects on a walkway, not constituting a trap or nuisance, which may cause a pedestrian [to] merely stumble, stub his [or her] toes, or trip over a raised projection” … . * * *

There is no set point at which a height differential on a sidewalk will rise above the level of triviality and become a dangerous condition … . Instead, “[w]hether a defect is so trivial to preclude liability depends on the particular facts of each case and requires consideration of such relevant factors as the dimensions of the alleged defect and the circumstances surrounding the injury” … .

… Photographs confirm that the sidewalk dropped off in the area where claimant fell, which the former grounds manager at the university suggested may have been due to a layer of asphalt “hav[ing] peeled away in that section.” No complaints had been made about the dropoff, however, and neither the groundskeeper who cared for the area nor the grounds manager recalled noticing it before claimant was injured. There were also no actual measurements of the depth of the dropoff, and the grounds manager reviewed photographs of the condition and opined that the depth was “much less” than the two inches that claimant believed it to be. Our review of those photographs leads us to agree with the assessment of the grounds manager that the dropoff was a minimal one. Thus, the facts and circumstances established at trial support the determination of the Court of Claims that the dropoff was simply too trivial to be actionable … . Medina v State of New York, 2015 NY Slip Op 08019, 3rd Dept 11-5-15

 

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