DEFENDANT PROPERTY-OWNER HAD ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE RECURRING RAINWATER LEAKS; PLAINTIFF ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff was entitled to summary judgment in this slip and fall case:

… Karen Myers [was] the defendants’ supervisor caretaker assigned to the subject building. At her deposition, the plaintiff testified that, while walking in the hallway of the floor that she resided on, she slipped as a result of rainwater that had leaked into the building from an outside terrace. She also testified that during periods of rainfall, she had noticed water leaking into the hallway from underneath the terrace door on numerous occasions over the years she had resided in the building and had observed building employees mopping the area “a lot of times.” Myers testified that she had been aware of the recurring leak for at least one year prior to the plaintiff’s accident and that the only remedial measure taken by building employees in response was “spot mopping.” She conceded that the recurring leak caused a “slip and fall” “hazard,” which she expected employees to “mop up.” Based upon this testimony, the plaintiff “established as a matter of law that [the defendants] had actual knowledge of a recurring dangerous and defective condition and, therefore, could be charged with constructive knowledge of each specific recurrence of the condition, which was a proximate cause of the accident” … . Graham v New York City Hous. Auth., 2024 NY Slip Op 03810, Second Dept 7-17-24

Practice Point: A property-owner’s actual knowledge of a recurring dangerous condition which causes a slip and fall entitles plaintiff to summary judgment.

 

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