The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, over a two-justice dissent, determined defendant should not have been granted summary judgment in this slip and fall case. Plaintiff alleged she slipped on a waxy substance on a marble floor and alleged she saw a “dent” in the substance made by her shoe when she fell. Defendant submitted evidence that the floor was never waxed:
Here, there is a triable issue of fact as to whether there was a slippery substance on the bathroom floor that caused plaintiff to fall notwithstanding defendant’s assertion that it never used wax in that particular bathroom. Contrary to the motion court’s findings, plaintiff’s proof was not speculative and was sufficient to defeat the motion, because she set forth a specific reason for the slippery condition on the floor, namely a build-up of wax … . Indeed, as noted above, she “saw a big line, the dent of my shoe in the wax all the way that I fell,” suggesting that her shoe gouged out some of the waxy substance where she fell. This was more than just leaving a streak … , which would happen regardless of the condition of the floor. Villa v Property Resources Corp. (137 AD3d 454 [1st Dept 2016]), recently decided by this Court, is also not dispositive. There, plaintiff merely felt a wetness on her pants and hands that smelled like wax or ammonia, while here, plaintiff saw the dent of her shoe in the waxy substance … . De Paris v Women’s Natl. Republican Club, Inc., 2017 NY Slip Op 01625, 1st Dept 3-2-17
NEGLIGENCE (PLAINTIFF’S ALLEGATION SHE SAW A DENT IN A WAXY SUBSTANCE MADE BY HER SHOE AS SHE FELL WAS SUFFICIENT TO DEFEAT DEFENDANT’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION, SUPREME COURT REVERSED)/SLIP AND FALL (PLAINTIFF’S ALLEGATION SHE SAW A DENT IN A WAXY SUBSTANCE MADE BY HER SHOE AS SHE FELL WAS SUFFICIENT TO DEFEAT DEFENDANT’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION, SUPREME COURT REVERSED)