You are here: / / QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER SNOW PLOWING CONTRACTOR LAUNCHED AN INSTRUMENT...
,

QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER SNOW PLOWING CONTRACTOR LAUNCHED AN INSTRUMENT OF HARM OR CREATED OR EXACERBATED A DANGEROUS CONDITION IN THIS ICE AND SNOW SLIP AND FALL CASE (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, in a comprehensive decision not fully summarized here, determined there was a question of fact whether the snow removal contractor (SWBG) had launched an instrument of harm or created or exacerbated a dangerous condition by piling snow near where plaintiff slipped and fell:

With respect to the third-party action, we agree with defendants that the court erred in granting SWBG’s motion insofar as it sought dismissal of the contribution cause of action. It is undisputed that SWBG entered into a contract with the Church to provide snowplowing services, which included salting or sanding the plowed areas at the discretion of SWBG. There are “three situations in which a party who enters into a contract to render services may be said to have assumed a duty of care—and thus be potentially liable in tort—to third persons: (1) where the contracting party, in failing to exercise reasonable care in the performance of his [or her] duties, launche[s] a force or instrument of harm’ . . . (2) where the plaintiff detrimentally relies on the continued performance of the contracting party’s duties . . . and (3) where the contracting party has entirely displaced the other party’s duty to maintain the premises safely” … . In their verified bill of particulars, defendants relied solely on the first situation.

With respect to the first situation, although SWBG piled the snow in the area of the incline, SWBG established that it did so only at the Church’s direction. Even assuming, arguendo, that such evidence is sufficient to establish that SWBG did not launch a force or instrument of harm, we conclude that defendants raised a triable issue of fact whether SWBG piled the snow at that location on its own initiative and thus whether SWBG launched a force or instrument of harm, i.e., created or exacerbated a dangerous condition … . Chamberlain v Church of the Holy Family 2018 NY Slip Op 02949, Fourth Dept 4-27-18

​NEGLIGENCE (SLIP AND FALL, CONTRACTOR LIABILITY, QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER SNOW PLOWING CONTRACTOR LAUNCHED AN INSTRUMENT OF HARM OR CREATED OR EXACERBATED A DANGEROUS CONDITION IN THIS ICE AND SNOW SLIP AND FALL CASE (FOURTH DEPT))/CONTRACT LAW (NEGLIGENCE, SLIP AND FALL, CONTRACTOR LIABILITY, QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER SNOW PLOWING CONTRACTOR LAUNCHED AN INSTRUMENT OF HARM OR CREATED OR EXACERBATED A DANGEROUS CONDITION IN THIS ICE AND SNOW SLIP AND FALL CASE (FOURTH DEPT))/SLIP AND FALL (CONTRACTOR LIABILITY, QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER SNOW PLOWING CONTRACTOR LAUNCHED AN INSTRUMENT OF HARM OR CREATED OR EXACERBATED A DANGEROUS CONDITION IN THIS ICE AND SNOW SLIP AND FALL CASE (FOURTH DEPT))

You might also like
Plaintiff Raised a Question of Fact About Whether Her Employment Was Terminated in Retaliation for Protected Activity
FRAUD WARRANTED INVALIDATION OF THE DESIGNATING PETITION (FOURTH DEPT). ​
Five-Year Look-Back Applied/Pension Properly Included in Determining Applicant’s Income In Spite of Unexplained Cessation of Payments
THE COVID-19 TOLLS SUSPENDED THE RUNNING OF THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS IN THIS PERSONAL INJURY CASE RENDERING THE ACTION TIMELY COMMENCED (FOURTH DEPT).
DEFENDANT’S CONVICTIONS FOR PREDATORY SEXUAL ASSAULT AGAINST A CHILD AND RAPE AFFIRMED UNDER A WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE ANALYSIS, THE DISSENT, APPLYING A WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE ANALYSIS, ARGUED THE EVIDENCE DID NOT RISE TO THE LEVEL OF BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT (FOURTH DEPT).
Violation of Zoning Ordinance Precludes Property Tax Exemption
Plaintiff Entitled to Summary Judgment Against Third-Party Defendant Under Doctrine of Collateral Estoppel
PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS VEHICLE-PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, PLAINTIFFS NEED NOT SHOW THE ABSENCE OF COMPARATIVE NEGLIGENCE (FOURTH DEPT).

Categories

Sign Up for the Mailing List to Be Notified When the Site Is Updated.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2026 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy

QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER DEFENDANTS UNREASONABLY INCREASED THE RISK IN THIS... DEFENDANT DRIVER RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT...