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THE ELEVATOR COMPANY, BY CONTRACT, HAD COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ELEVATOR MAINTENANCE; THEREFORE THE BUILDING OWNER AND MANAGER WERE ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT DISMISSING THE COMPLAINT AGAINST THEM IN THIS RES IPSA LOQUITUR ELEVATOR-MALFUNCTION-ACCIDENT CASE (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, recalling and vacating a decision in this case released on December 8, 2020, determined the building owner (1067 Fifth) and manager (Elliman) did not have constructive or action notice of the defect in the elevator door which allegedly caused it to close on plaintiff’s shoulder, pinning her while the elevator descended. However liability may be demonstrated under the res ipsa loquitur theory. But because the building owner and manager had, by contract, relinquished all control over the maintenance of the elevator to defendant elevator company, American, their motions for summary judgment were granted:

… [U]nder the terms of its contract with 1067 Fifth, American was responsible for providing “full comprehensive maintenance and repair services” for the elevators, which included maintaining “[t]he entire vertical transportation system,” including “all engineering, material, labor, testing, and inspections needed to achieve work specified by the contract.” Further, under the terms of the contract, maintenance “include[s], but is not limited to, preventive services, emergency callback services, inspection and testing services, repair and/or direct replacement component renewal procedures.” The contract also provided for American to “schedule [ ] systematic examinations, adjustments, cleaning and lubrication of all machinery, machinery spaces, hoistways and pits,” and to do all “repairs, renewals, and replacements . . . as soon as scheduled or other examinations reveal the necessity of the same.” Further, American agreed to provide emergency call-back service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Given such broad contractual responsibilities, American’s contract can be said to have “entirely displaced” the responsibility of 1067 Fifth and Elliman to maintain the safety of the building’s elevators, which gave rise to a duty owed directly to plaintiff by American (see Espinal v Melville Snow Contrs., 98 NY2d 136, 140 [2002]). Sanchez v 1067 Fifth Ave. Corp., 2021 NY Slip Op 01522, First Dept 3-16-21

 

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