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DEFENDANT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE WAS PUT ON NOTICE TO PRESERVE SURVEILLANCE VIDEO AS OF AUGUST 19; DEFENDANT’S EMPLOYEE AVERRED THAT THE VIDEO COULD HAVE BEEN AUTOMATICALLY DESTROYED BEFORE OR AFTER AUGUST 19; THEREFORE THE SPOLIATION ISSUE MUST BE DECIDED BY THE TRIER OF FACT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined there was a question of fact whether defendant (Jet Blue) destroyed video evidence of plaintiff’s slip and fall. Therefore, whether there was spoliation of evidence is to be decided by the trier of fact:

… [T]he plaintiff demonstrated that Jet Blue was on notice as of August 19, 2021, that it had an obligation to preserve the video surveillance footage … . Moreover, the affidavit of Jet Blue’s employee raised an issue of fact as to whether the video surveillance footage was destroyed before or after Jet Blue’s obligation to preserve it arose on August 19, 2021. Under these circumstances, a triable issue of fact exists as to whether spoliation of evidence occurred, which issue should be determined by the trier of fact … . The appropriate sanction for any such spoliation of evidence would be an adverse inference charge against Jet Blue, as the destruction of any video surveillance footage of the incident did not deprive the plaintiff of the opportunity to prove her case … . Fernandez v Port Auth. of N.Y. & N.J., 2026 NY Slip Op 05518, Second Dept 9-30-26

Practice Point: Sometimes spoliation of evidence is a jury question.​

 

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