THE DEFENDANT RETAIL STORE IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE DID NOT DEMONSTRATE IT DID NOT HAVE CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE OF AND/OR CREATE THE DANGEROUS CONDITION (A PUDDLE OF LIQUID) WHICH CAUSED PLAINTIFF’S SLIP AND FALL (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant store (Whole Foods) did not demonstrated it did not have constructive notice of the puddle of liquid which caused plaintiff’s slip and fall:

… [V]iewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Yerry [plaintiff] as the nonmovant, the defendants failed to establish, prima facie, that the accident was not the result of the defendants’ failure to take appropriate remedial measures within a reasonable period of time after acquiring actual notice of a hazardous condition … . The evidence submitted by the defendants in support of their motion demonstrated the existence of a triable issue of fact as to whether the defendants’ employees made the condition “more hazardous by incomplete remedial measures” … . Yerry v Whole Food Mkt. Group, Inc., 2022 NY Slip Op 05000, Second Dept 8-17-22

Practice Point: Unusual case where there was a question of fact whether defendant’s inadequate clean-up of a puddle of liquid caused plaintiff’s slip and fall.