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PETITIONER POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED ON WATER FROM A LEAKING WATER COOLER, THE HEARING OFFICER RULED THE INCIDENT WAS NOT A COMPENSABLE ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE WATER WAS READILY OBSERVABLE, THE COURT OF APPEALS RECENTLY HELD A PETITIONER IS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE A CONDITION WAS NOT READILY OBSERVABLE, DETERMINATION ANNULLED (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department annulled the finding that petitioner police officer, who slipped and fell on water which had leaked from a water cooler, was not entitled to accidental disability retirement benefits. The hearing officer had found that the incident constituted an accident within the meaning of the Retirement and Social Security Law, but the officer was not entitled to benefits because the water was readily observable. The Court of Appeals has recently ruled that a petitioner need not demonstrate a condition was not readily observable in order to demonstrate the incident was an accident:

Respondent [comptroller] adopted the findings and conclusions of the Hearing Officer, who found that slipping on the water “was a sudden, fortuitous mischance and undoubtably unexpected and out of the ordinary.” The Hearing Officer denied benefits, however, based solely upon petitioner’s failure to demonstrate that the water she had slipped on was not readily observable. In its recent decision in Matter of Kelly v DiNapoli (30 NY3d 674 [2018]), the Court of Appeals stated that “the requirement that a petitioner demonstrate that a condition was not readily observable in order to demonstrate an ‘accident’ is inconsistent with our prior case law” … . Inasmuch as respondent concluded that — but for the lack of proof that the water was readily observable — the incident satisfied the criteria to constitute an accident within the meaning of the Retirement and Social Security Law, substantial evidence does not support the determination that the incident was not an accident and it must be annulled … . Matter of Daquino v DiNapoli, 2018 NY Slip Op 03201, Third Dept 5-3-18

​RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY LAW (ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS, PETITIONER POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED ON WATER FROM A LEAKING WATER COOLER, THE HEARING OFFICER RULED THE INCIDENT WAS NOT A COMPENSABLE ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE WATER WAS READILY OBSERVABLE, THE COURT OF APPEALS RECENTLY HELD A PETITIONER IS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE A CONDITION WAS NOT READILY OBSERVABLE, DETERMINATION ANNULLED (THIRD DEPT))/POLICE OFFICERS (RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY LAW, ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS, PETITIONER POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED ON WATER FROM A LEAKING WATER COOLER, THE HEARING OFFICER RULED THE INCIDENT WAS NOT A COMPENSABLE ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE WATER WAS READILY OBSERVABLE, THE COURT OF APPEALS RECENTLY HELD A PETITIONER IS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE A CONDITION WAS NOT READILY OBSERVABLE, DETERMINATION ANNULLED (THIRD DEPT))/ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS (RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY LAW , PETITIONER POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED ON WATER FROM A LEAKING WATER COOLER, THE HEARING OFFICER RULED THE INCIDENT WAS NOT A COMPENSABLE ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE WATER WAS READILY OBSERVABLE, THE COURT OF APPEALS RECENTLY HELD A PETITIONER IS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE A CONDITION WAS NOT READILY OBSERVABLE, DETERMINATION ANNULLED (THIRD DEPT))/ACCIDENTS (POLICE OFFICERS, ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS, PETITIONER POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED ON WATER FROM A LEAKING WATER COOLER, THE HEARING OFFICER RULED THE INCIDENT WAS NOT A COMPENSABLE ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE WATER WAS READILY OBSERVABLE, THE COURT OF APPEALS RECENTLY HELD A PETITIONER IS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE A CONDITION WAS NOT READILY OBSERVABLE, DETERMINATION ANNULLED (THIRD DEPT))/READILY OBSERVABLE CONDITION (ACCIDENTS, RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY LAW (ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS, PETITIONER POLICE OFFICER SLIPPED ON WATER FROM A LEAKING WATER COOLER, THE HEARING OFFICER RULED THE INCIDENT WAS NOT A COMPENSABLE ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE WATER WAS READILY OBSERVABLE, THE COURT OF APPEALS RECENTLY HELD A PETITIONER IS NO LONGER REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE A CONDITION WAS NOT READILY OBSERVABLE, DETERMINATION ANNULLED (THIRD DEPT))

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PETITIONER POLICE OFFICER WAS AWARE OF THE DEFECT IN THE FLOOR WHICH CAUSED HIS CHAIR TO START TO TIP OVER BACKWARDS WHEN THE WHEELS CAUGHT IN THE DEFECT; THEREFORE THE INCIDENT WAS NOT UNEXPECTED AND PETITIONER WAS NOT ENTITLED TO ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS (THIRD DEPT).
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