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PLAINTIFF APPARENTLY SLIPPED AND FELL BECAUSE OF LEAVES ON THE STAIRWAY; THE CONDITION WAS NOT BOTH “OPEN AND OBVIOUS” AND “NOT INHERENTLY DANGEROUS” AS A MATTER OF LAW; PLAINTIFF’S NEGLIGENCE IN DESCENDING THE STAIRWAY FURNISHED THE OCCASION FOR THE ACCIDENT, BUT WAS NOT THE PROXIMATE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined the verdict in this slip and fall case was not contrary to the weight of the evidence. Plaintiff descended a stairway which had leaves on it:

The plaintiff’s testimony sufficiently identified the condition that caused her to fall … . The evidence at trial failed to establish, as a matter of law, that the condition at issue was both open and obvious and not inherently dangerous … . …

A jury’s finding that a party was at fault but that such fault was not a proximate cause of the accident is inconsistent and against the weight of the evidence only when the issues are so inextricably interwoven as to make it logically impossible to find negligence without also finding proximate cause” … . Here, the jury could have reasonably concluded that the plaintiff was negligent in choosing to descend the stairway despite the presence of leaves, but that her negligence merely furnished the occasion for the accident … . Accordingly, the jury’s determination that the plaintiff’s conduct was not a substantial factor in causing the accident was not contrary to the weight of the evidence. Brennan v Gormley, 2020 NY Slip Op 01473, Second Dept 3-4-20

 

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