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AS PLAINTIFF WAS REMOVING DUCTS FROM THE CEILING, A PORTION OF A DUCT STRUCK PLAINTIFF AND THE A-FRAME LADDER CAUSING HIM AND THE LADDER TO FALL TO THE FLOOR; IT IS ENOUGH THAT THE LADDER WAS “UNSECURED;” PLAINTIFF NEED NOT SHOW THE LADDER WAS DEFECTIVE (FIRST DEPT). ​

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff was entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law 240(1) cause of action in this ladder-fall case. Plaintiff was provided with an A-frame ladder to remove duct work from the ceiling. A portion of the duct fell causing the ladder to tip and plaintiff fell to the floor. The court noted that plaintiff need not prove the ladder was defective. In addition, summary judgment is appropriate even where, as here, plaintiff is the only witness to the incident:

Labor Law § 240(1) “mandates that owners and contractors provide devices which shall be so constructed, placed and operated as to give proper protection to persons performing work covered by the statute” … . As the building owner, defendant had the duty to provide proper protection to plaintiff, a worker, pursuant to section 240(1) … .

For purposes of liability under section 240(1), “[i]t is sufficient . . . that adequate safety devices to prevent the ladder from slipping or to protect the plaintiff from falling were absent” … . Here, plaintiff’s testimony that he was not provided with any other safety protection except an unsecured ladder, which fell along with plaintiff when both were hit by the duct, established prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law … . Rivera v 712 Fifth Ave. Owner LP, 2024 NY Slip Op 03562, First Dept 7-2-24

Practice Point: If plaintiff falls from an “unsecured” A-frame ladder, summary judgment on the Labor Las 240(1) cause of action is appropriate even where there is no proof the ladder was defective and there were no witnesses.

 

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