ALTHOUGH THE HOMEOWNER HIRED CONTRACTORS TO REPAIR HER HOME AND VISITED THE PROPERTY AS THE WORK WAS BEING DONE SHE DID NOT DIRECT OR SUPERVISE THE WORK AND THEREFORE WAS ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT DISMISSING THE LABOR LAW 240(1), 241(6) AND 200 CAUSES OF ACTION (SECOND DEPT).
The Second Department determined defendant homeowner’s (Hanson’s) motion for summary judgment in this Labor Law 240(1), 241(6) and 200 action was properly granted, in part because the homeowner’s exemption from Labor Law liability applied. The facts that the homeowner hired several contractors to repair her home and visited the property while work was being done did not subject her to liability:
Hannon established … that she was the owner of a single-family home and that she did not direct or control the work performed by the plaintiff or his employer… . While Hannon testified at her deposition that she visited the property several times per week to “[p]ick up the mail, check on progress, say hello,” her deposition testimony, along with that of the plaintiff, established that she never directed the work … . …[T]he fact that Hannon hired separate contractors to perform different aspects of the work on her property does not render her “a general contractor, responsible for supervising the entire construction project and enforcing safety standards” … .
… Supreme Court properly granted that branch of Hannon’s motion which was for summary judgment dismissing the Labor Law § 200 and common-law negligence causes of action insofar as asserted against her. Hannon established, prima facie, that she did not have the authority to supervise or control the method or manner in which the plaintiff’s work was performed … . Navarra v Hannon, 2021 NY Slip Op 04611, Second Dept 8-4-21