PLAINTIFF WAS STRUCK BY A PIECE OF SHEETROCK, THE LADDER HE WAS STANDING ON SHOOK, AND PLAINTIFF FELL TO THE GROUND; THERE WAS NO NEED TO PROVE THE LADDER WAS DEFECTIVE; PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON HIS LABOR LAW 240 (1) CAUSE OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on his Labor Law 240 (1) cause of action should have been granted, Plaintiff stood on an A-frame ladder while attempting to put up a piece of sheetrock on the ceiling. His arm which was holding up the sheetrock became tired, the sheetrock fell striking plaintiff’s head and then the ladder shook and moved and he fell to the ground. There was no need to prove the ladder was defective:
The undisputed facts establish that defendants violated Labor Law § 240(1) by failing to properly secure the ladder against movement or slippage and to ensure that it remained steady and erect … . Defendants failed to guard against plaintiff’s risk of falling from a ladder while using one hand over his head to hold the sheetrock in place and the other hand over his head to operate a drill … .
Because we find that the ladder did not provide adequate protection, it is irrelevant that it appeared “very sturdy” to plaintiff. A plaintiff is not required to demonstrate that a ladder is defective in order to establish prima facie entitlement to summary judgment under Labor Law § 240 (1) … . Ping Lin v 100 Wall St. Prop. L.L.C., 2021 NY Slip Op 02605, First Dept 4-29-21