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INDEMNIFICATION IS ONLY AVAILABLE IF THE PARTY SEEKING IT IS NOT NEGLIGENT (VICARIOUS LIABILITY); A PARTY WHO IS PARTIALLY NEGLIGENT MAY ONLY SEEK CONTRIBUTION, NOT INDEMNIFICATION, FROM OTHER TORT-FEASORS (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the third-party complaint against defendant seeking indemnification should have been dismissed because the third-party plaintiff could not be vicariously liable for the negligence of the defendant. Where a party is partially liable based on its own negligence, only contribution from other tort-feasors, not indemnification, is available:

“The principle of common-law, or implied indemnification, permits one who has been compelled to pay for the wrong of another to recover from the wrongdoer the damages it paid to the injured party” … . “The predicate of common-law indemnity is vicarious liability without actual fault on the part of the proposed indemnitee, that is, the defendant’s role in causing the plaintiff’s injury is solely passive, and thus its liability is purely vicarious” … . However, “where a party is held liable at least partially because of its own negligence, contribution against other culpable tort-feasors is the only available remedy” … . De Heras v Avant Gardner, LLC, 2024 NY Slip Op 00999, Second Dept 2-28-24

Practice Point: Indemnification is only available to a party who is vicariously liable for the negligence of another. A party who is partially negligence can only seek contribution, not indemnification, from other tort-feasors.

 

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