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SIX TO TWELVE INCHES OF SNOW FELL OVERNIGHT AND PLAINTIFF SLIPPED AND FELL AT AROUND 6:00 AM; DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT PURSUANT TO THE STORM-IN-PROGRESS DEFENSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the defendants’ motion for summary judgment in this slip and fall case should have been granted on the ground that the storm-in-progress defense applied:

On March 15, 2017, at approximately 5:55 a.m., the plaintiff … allegedly was injured when he slipped and fell on snow and ice on premises owned by the defendants. …

“Under the storm-in-progress rule, a property owner, tenant in possession, or, where relevant, a snow removal contractor will not be held responsible for accidents caused by snow or ice that accumulates during a storm until an adequate period of time has passed following the cessation of the storm to allow . . . an opportunity to ameliorate the hazards caused by the storm” … . However, once a landowner or a tenant in possession elects to engage in snow removal during a storm in progress, “it is required to act with reasonable care so as to avoid creating a hazardous condition or exacerbating a natural hazard created by the storm” … . “The mere failure of a defendant to remove all of the snow and ice, without more, does not establish that the defendant increased the risk of harm” … .

Here, in support of their motion, the defendants submitted … [plaintiff’s] deposition testimony, which established … that snow began to fall the day before the incident and continued to fall into the overnight hours, producing 6 to 12 inches of snow, and that the defendants did not have a reasonably sufficient time to ameliorate the hazards caused by the storm … . Henenlotter v Union Free Sch. Dist. No. 23, 2022 NY Slip Op 06116, Second Dept 11-2-22

Practice Point: Here six to twelve inches of snow fell overnight and plaintiff slipped and fell around 6 in the morning. The appellate court determined the storm-in-progress defense applied and defendants’ motion for summary judgment should have been granted.

 

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