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WHETHER THE TRENCH WAS THREE OR SEVEN FEET DEEP, PLAINTIFF SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROVIDED WITH A LADDER OR A RAMP TO DESCEND INTO IT BUT WAS TOLD TO JUMP DOWN; PLAINTIFF WAS ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE LABOR LAW 240(1) CAUSE OF ACTION (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff was entitled to summary judgment on the Labor Law 240(1) cause of action. Plaintiff was injured when he jumped into an excavated trench. Plaintiff testified that the trench was five to seven feet deep and he asked for a ladder but was told to jump down. There was conflicting testimony about the depth of the trench which defendant claimed was 3 1/2 feet deep:

Plaintiff’s descent into the trench constituted an elevation-related hazard within the scope of Labor Law § 240(1) requiring a ladder or ramp for proper protection … . Accordingly, plaintiff made a prima facie case that Navesink and SLS violated Labor Law § 240(1) by failing to provide a ladder or ramp to enable him to safely climb down into the trench, where he was assigned to shovel soil to even out the landscape at the bottom of the trench.

In opposition, defendants failed to raise a triable issue of fact. The witnesses’ varying estimates of the depth of the excavated trench, ranging from around three feet to five feet to seven feet, do not present an issue of fact as to whether plaintiff’s accident resulted from a significant elevation differential … . McCormick v DiPersia, 2025 NY Slip Op 03019, First Dept 5-20-25

Practice Point: Here plaintiff was injured when he jumped into a trench. There was conflicting testimony about the depth of the trench, three to seven feet. Whether the depth was three feet or seven feet, defendant was required to provide a ladder or a ramp to descend into it. Therefore, plaintiff, who was told to jump down, was entitled to summary judgment on the Labor Law 240(1) cause of action.

 

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