QUESTIONS OF FACT WHETHER BAR LIABLE FOR THIRD PARTY ASSAULT UNDER THE DRAM SHOP ACT AND NEGLIGENCE (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department determined the bar owner’s (SNMT’s) motion for summary judgment on the Dram Shop Act and negligence causes of action were properly denied. Plaintiff was struck by a bar patron (Coscia). There were questions of fact whether the patron was served alcohol while visibly intoxicated and whether the assault was foreseeable:
… [T]he Supreme Court properly denied that branch of SNMT’s motion which was for summary judgment dismissing the General Obligations Law § 11-101 cause of action, and properly denied that branch of the plaintiff’s cross motion which was for summary judgment on the issue of liability on that cause of action. The submissions of both parties revealed the existence of triable issues of fact as to whether the bar served alcoholic beverages to Coscia while he was visibly intoxicated, whether the bar served alcoholic beverages to Coscia when it had knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that he was under 21 years of age, and whether there was some reasonable or practical connection between the service of alcohol to Coscia and the plaintiff’s injuries … .
In addition, the Supreme Court properly denied that branch of SNMT’s motion which was for summary judgment dismissing the negligence cause of action. “Although a property owner must act in a reasonable manner to prevent harm to those on its premises, an owner’s duty to control the conduct of persons on its premises arises only when it has the opportunity to control such conduct, and is reasonably aware of the need for such control. Thus, the owner of a public establishment has no duty to protect patrons against unforeseeable and unexpected assaults” … . Here, SNMT failed to establish, prima facie, that the attack on the plaintiff was not foreseeable … . Tansey v Coscia, 2018 NY Slip Op 01633, Second Dept 3-14-18
NEGLIGENCE (THIRD PARTY ASSAULT, QUESTIONS OF FACT WHETHER BAR LIABLE FOR THIRD PARTY ASSAULT UNDER THE DRAM SHOP ACT AND NEGLIGENCE (SECOND DEPT))/DRAM SHOP ACT (THIRD PARTY ASSAULT, QUESTIONS OF FACT WHETHER BAR LIABLE FOR THIRD PARTY ASSAULT UNDER THE DRAM SHOP ACT AND NEGLIGENCE (SECOND DEPT))/ASSAULT, THIRD PARTY (DRAM SHOP ACT, NEGLIGENCE, QUESTIONS OF FACT WHETHER BAR LIABLE FOR THIRD PARTY ASSAULT UNDER THE DRAM SHOP ACT AND NEGLIGENCE (SECOND DEPT))/BARS (THIRD PARTY ASSAULT, QUESTIONS OF FACT WHETHER BAR LIABLE FOR THIRD PARTY ASSAULT UNDER THE DRAM SHOP ACT AND NEGLIGENCE (SECOND DEPT))