INJURY WHILE TRIMMING A TREE NOT ACTIONABLE UNDER LABOR LAW 200 OR LABOR LAW 240(1).
The Second Department determined Supreme Court properly granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment on the Labor Law 200 and 240(1) causes of action. Plaintiff was injured by a power saw as he was standing on a ladder cutting a tree branch. The Labor Law 200 cause of action was dismissed because defendants did not control the manner of plaintiff’s work. The Labor Law 240(1) cause of action was dismissed because tree-trimming was not encompassed by the statute:
Here, the accident arose from the manner in which the work was performed, and the defendants established their prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law dismissing the Labor Law § 200 claim by submitting evidence demonstrating that they did not have the authority to supervise or control the methods or materials of the plaintiff’s work … . …
The defendants established, prima facie, that the plaintiff’s tree branch cutting work was outside the ambit of Labor Law § 240(1), because a tree is not a “building or structure” within the meaning of the statute … . In opposition, the plaintiff failed to raise a triable issue of fact. His contention that the tree branch cutting work was necessary to complete a larger renovation project with respect to the building on the premises is unsupported by the record … . Olarte v Morgan, 2017 NY Slip Op 01874, 2nd Dept 3-15-17
LABOR LAW-CONSTRUCTION LAW (INJURY WHILE TRIMMING A TREE NOT ACTIONABLE UNDER LABOR LAW 200 OR LABOR LAW 240(1))/TREE TRIMMING (LABOR LAW-CONSTRUCTION LAW, INJURY WHILE TRIMMING A TREE NOT ACTIONABLE UNDER LABOR LAW 200 OR LABOR LAW 240(1))