STORE’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS ESCALATOR SLIP AND FALL CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED BASED UPON PROOF OF REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTIONS AND NO REPORTS OF ACCIDENTS OR PROBLEMS (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined that defendant retail store’s (Macy’s) motion for summary judgment in this escalator slip and fall case should have been granted. Proof that the escalator was regularly maintained and inspected and there were no reports of accidents or problems warranted summary judgment and the plaintiff’s claims that the escalator was wet and the rubber handrail pulled up did not raise a question of fact:
Macy’s submitted, inter alia, deposition testimony of two of its employees, as well as the records of maintenance and inspections of the escalator by defendant Thyssenkrupp Corp. and the New York City Department of Buildings. Such evidence showed that the escalator was regularly maintained and inspected during the years prior to plaintiff’s accident, and there were never any reports of accidents or other problems with the escalator… .
In opposition, plaintiff failed to raise a triable of fact. Plaintiff’s wife’s hearsay statement that the stairs were wet does not indicate that they were wet long enough for Macy’s to have notice of the condition. Similarly, plaintiff’s testimony that the rubber handrail pulled up when he grasped at it as he slipped, does not raise an issue of fact that any such defect existed long enough for Macy’s to have notice, particularly since there were no prior complaints and in light of the evidence of regular maintenance and City inspections showing no problems .. . Furthermore, the opinion of plaintiff’s expert engineer that the wooden escalator treads were more slippery than industry safety standards permit does not raise an issue of fact. Ahmed v Macy’s Inc., 2018 NY Slip Op 03231, First Dept 5-3-18
NEGLIGENCE (SLIP AND FALL, STORE’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS ESCALATOR SLIP AND FALL CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED BASED UPON PROOF OF REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTIONS AND NO REPORTS OF ACCIDENTS OR PROBLEMS (FIRST DEPT))/SLIP AND FALL (ESCALATORS, STORE’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS ESCALATOR SLIP AND FALL CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED BASED UPON PROOF OF REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTIONS AND NO REPORTS OF ACCIDENTS OR PROBLEMS (FIRST DEPT))/ESCALATORS (SLIP AND FALL, STORE’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS ESCALATOR SLIP AND FALL CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED BASED UPON PROOF OF REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTIONS AND NO REPORTS OF ACCIDENTS OR PROBLEMS (FIRST DEPT))