THE LANDLORD AND PROPERTY MANAGER DEMONSTRATED THE POWER-OPERATED DOOR WHICH ALLEGEDLY STRUCK PLAINTIFF WAS NOT DEFECTIVE AND THEY HAD NO NOTICE OF ANY DEFECTS (SECOND DEPT).

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The Second Department determined the landlord (North Shore Towers) and the property manager (Greenthal Management) demonstrated the power-operated door which allegedly struck plaintiff as she walked through the doorway was not defective. Therefore the defendants’ motion for summary judgment was properly granted:

A landowner has a duty to maintain its property in a reasonably safe condition to prevent the occurrence of foreseeable injuries … . “In order for a landowner to be liable in tort to a plaintiff who is injured as a result of an allegedly defective condition upon property, it must be established that a defective condition existed and that the landowner affirmatively created the condition or had actual or constructive notice of its existence” … .

Here, North Shore Towers and Greenthal Management established their prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by demonstrating that the subject door did not constitute a dangerous or defective condition … .. In support of their motion, they submitted evidence that they conducted daily inspections of the door, that the door activating system had been fully replaced two months before the incident, that, after the new system had been installed, there had been no complaints of the door malfunctioning prior to the incident, and that the door functioned in accordance with industry standards. Alkon v North Shore Towers Apts. Inc., 2020 NY Slip Op 03883, Second Dept 7-15-20