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WHERE AN UNSECURED LADDER MOVES AND PLAINTIFF FALLS, PLAINTIFF CANNOT BE THE SOLE PROXIMATE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT; THEREFORE PLAINTIFF IS ENTITLED TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE LABOR LAW 240(1) CAUSE OF ACTION (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined plaintiff was entitled to summary judgment on the Labor Law 240(1) cause of action in this ladder-fall case:

… [P]laintiffs established, prima facie, that Labor Law § 240(1) was violated and that the violation was a proximate cause of the injured plaintiff’s injuries by submitting evidence that the unsecured ladder moved and fell, causing the injured plaintiff to fall, and that he was not provided with any safety devices … .

In opposition … defendants … failed to raise a triable issue of fact as to whether the injured plaintiff’s alleged misuse of the ladder was the sole proximate cause of the accident. Where, as here, the injured plaintiff is provided with an unsecured ladder and no safety devices, he cannot be held solely at fault for his injuries … . Garcia v Fed LI, LLC, 2025 NY Slip Op 03795, Second Dept 6-25-25

Practice Point: As long as the failure to provide adequate safety equipment is a proximate cause of a ladder fall, i.e., the failure to secure the ladder to prevent movement, defendant will not be able to win the argument that plaintiff’s actions were to sole proximate cause of the accident. Plaintiff will be entitled to summary judgment on the Labor Law 240(10 cause of action.

 

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