QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER PLAINTIFF WAS TOLD TO PAINT ONLY WHERE HE COULD REACH WITHOUT THE LADDER IN THIS LADDER-FALL CASE (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined there was evidence plaintiff was told only to paint areas he could reach without the ladder. Plaintiff fell from the ladder:
Plaintiff was injured when he fell from a ladder while painting an apartment in a building owned by defendant. The testimony of plaintiff’s employer, that he had specifically instructed plaintiff only to paint areas he could reach and not to use the ladder, raises triable issues as to whether plaintiff’s duties were expressly limited to work that did not expose him to an elevation-related hazard within the purview of Labor Law § 240(1) … . Orellana v Mo-Hak Assoc., LLC, 2020 NY Slip Op 02867, First Dept 5-14-20