DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE WAS PREMATURE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN DENIED; CRITERIA EXPLAINED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendants’ motion for summary judgment in this slip and fall case was premature and should have been denied:

A motion for summary judgment may be denied as premature where it appears that the facts essential to oppose the motion exist but cannot then be stated (see CPLR 3212[f] …). “A party who contends that a summary judgment motion is premature is required to demonstrate that discovery might lead to relevant evidence or the facts essential to justify opposition to the motion were exclusively within the knowledge and control of the movant” … .

Here, the plaintiff demonstrated that further discovery, including records of the United States Postal Service, a deposition of the plaintiff’s former coworker, and discovery related to hearsay statements that the alleged defect had been reported to the defendants, may result in the disclosure of evidence relevant to the issue of whether the defendants had notice of the alleged defective condition … . Knowles v 21-43 27th St., LLC, 2024 NY Slip Op 00759, Second Dept 2-14-24

Practice Point: Here the defendants’ motion for summary judgment was deemed premature; criteria explained.