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ALTHOUGH THE PERSON WHO ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTED PLAINTIFF AT JFK AIRPORT WAS AN EMPLOYEE OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, HE WAS NOT ON DUTY AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT; THE DEFENDANTS MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE VICARIOUS LIABILITY AND NEGLIGENCE CAUSES OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendants’ motion for summary judgment in this vicarious liability, negligent hiring and supervision and premises liability action should have been granted. Plaintiff was allegedly assaulted by Miles, who worked for American Airlines, at JFK airport (owned by defendant Port Authority). Plaintiff sued under respondeat superior and negligence theories. Miles testified he was not on duty at the time of the incident:

Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, an employer may be held vicariously liable for intentional torts committed by employees acting within the scope of their employment, as long as those acts were “generally foreseeable and a natural incident of the employment” … . Where the material facts are not in dispute, the question whether respondeat superior liability attaches is one of law and can be determined on a motion for summary judgment … . Here the threshold question is whether Miles was even working, or under the direction of American, at the time of the incident. … [D]efendants attached the deposition transcript of Miles, who testified that he was not working at the time of the incident. This was sufficient to at least satisfy defendants’ prima facie burden … .

Because the testimony of Miles, who, notably, is not a party to this action, was that he was not on duty when the altercation occurred, defendants shifted the burden on the issue of respondeat superior. Moreover, Miles’s testimony about his job responsibilities — escorting planes in and out, and loading and unloading luggage — established prima facie that the foreseeability element of respondeat superior liability was not present. The alleged assault bore no connection to plaintiff’s work duties, and thus was not “in furtherance of any employer-related goal whatsoever”  Summors v Port Auth. of N.Y. & N.J., 2022 NY Slip Op 01891, First Dept 3-17-22

Practice Point: An American Airlines employee allegedly assaulted plaintiff at JFK airport. The defendants demonstrated the American Airlines employee was not on duty at the time of the incident, which was deemed fatal to respondeat superior (vicarious) liability.

 

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