DEFENDANT PROPERTY OWNERS PRESENTED NO EVIDENCE TO DEMONSTRATE WHEN THE STEPS WHERE PLAINTIFF SLIPPED AND FELL WERE LAST INSPECTED OR CLEANED; THEREFORE DEFENDANTS WERE NOT ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT (FIRST DEPT). ​

​The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined there was a question of fact whether defendants created or had notice of the slippery condition of the steps alleged to have caused plaintiff’s slip and fall. Defendants presented no evidence about when the steps were last cleaned or inspected:

Defendant Bruhilde Koenig testified during her deposition that she painted the concrete steps leading down to plaintiff’s basement apartment with nonslip paint, and that she never had issues with the patio being slippery when wet prior to plaintiff’s accident. However, she presented no testimony as to the condition of the steps on the day of the accident or as to when the steps had most recently been inspected or cleaned. Plaintiff testified that it was “wet and misty” at the time of the accident, that he observed standing water on the steps, and that he had previously asked Koenig to place safety strips on the staircase, as he and his daughter had slipped and fallen in the past during rainy weather. Plaintiff also testified that the steps were “irregular” and not “very well uniformed [sic].” Plaintiff has raised a triable issue of fact as to whether defendants created or had notice of the alleged defect. Iaccarino v Koenig, 2023 NY Slip Op 05037, First Dept 10-5-23

Practice Point: In a slip and fall case, the property owner cannot demonstrate a lack of notice of the slippery condition without presenting evidence demonstrating when the area was last inspected or cleaned.