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BECAUSE A CONTEMPORARY REPORT PROVIDED THE CITY WITH NOTICE OF THE NATURE OF THE SLIP AND FALL, THE PETITION FOR LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, DESPITE THE LACK OF A REASONABLE EXCUSE FOR FAILING TO TIMELY FILE (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the petition for leave to file a late notice of claim in this slip and fall case should have been granted. The line-of-duty report provided the city with timely knowledge of the nature of the claim and demonstrate the city would not be prejudiced by the delay in filing the notice. Where a defendant has timely knowledge of the incident, the lack of a reasonable explanation for failing to timely file is often overlooked:

The line-of-duty injury report’s specificity regarding the location and circumstances of the incident, permitted the City to readily infer that a potentially actionable wrong had been committed … .

Further, as the petitioner has shown the City’s actual knowledge of the essential facts underlying the claim, the petitioner’s failure to provide a reasonable excuse for the delay in serving the notice of claim was not fatal to her claim … .

… [A]s the City acquired timely knowledge of the essential facts constituting the claim, the petitioner met her initial burden of showing that the City would not be prejudiced by the late notice of claim … . In response …, the City has failed to provide particularized evidence establishing that the late notice substantially prejudiced its ability to defend the claim on the merits … . Matter of Steward v City of New York, 2024 NY Slip Op 02058, Second Dept 4-17-24

Practice Point: If the municipal defendant has timely notice of the nature of the incident (here by virtue of a contemporary report) and the city cannot demonstrate prejudice, a petition for leave to file a late notice of claim should be granted, even in the absence of a reasonable excuse for failing to timely file.

 

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