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NOXIOUS ODORS FROM A PLASTIC-MANUFACTURING FACILITY CANNOT BE THE BASIS OF A NEGLIGENCE CAUSE OF ACTION BECAUSE THE ODORS HAVE NOT CAUSED PHYSICAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE (ECONOMIC LOSS IS NOT SUFFICIENT); THE NOXIOUS ODORS DO SUPPORT A PRIVATE NUISANCE CAUSE OF ACTION EVEN THOUGH A LARGE NUMBER OF PRIVATE CITIZENS IN THIS CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ARE AFFECTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court in this class action lawsuit, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Voutsinas, over a concurrence and partial dissent, determined (1) noxious odors emanating from defendant’s plastic-manufacturing facility are properly the subject of a private nuisance cause of action on behalf of a collective of individuals, and (2) the noxious odors are not a proper subject for a negligence cause of action because no tangible physical harm or property damage was alleged (diminution in property value is not enough):

“‘To recover in negligence [or gross negligence], a plaintiff must sustain either physical injury or property damage resulting from the defendant’s alleged negligent conduct . . . This limitation serves a number of important purposes: it defines the class of persons who actually possess a cause of action, provides a basis for the factfinder to determine whether a litigant actually possesses a claim, and protects court dockets from being clogged with frivolous and unfounded claims'” … .

“Although [the] defendant undoubtedly owes surrounding property owners a duty of care to avoid injuring them . . . , the question is whether [the] plaintiff[s] sustained the required injury” … . “‘[T]he economic loss resulting from the diminution of [the] plaintiff[s’] property values is not, standing alone, sufficient to sustain a negligence claim under New York law'” … . * * *

“‘The elements of a private nuisance cause of action are: (1) an interference substantial in nature, (2) intentional in origin, (3) unreasonable in character, (4) with a person’s property right to use and enjoy land, (5) caused by another’s conduct in acting or failing to act'” … . …

A private nuisance cause of action is one where “[t]he rights invaded . . . are not suffered by the [plaintiffs] in their status as citizens or part of the public” … . Rather, the harm is suffered by the plaintiffs “in their private capacity in respect of an interference with the comfortable enjoyment of their homes,” which does not become a public nuisance “merely because a considerable number are injured” … . Dudley v API Indus., Inc., 2025 NY Slip Op 07379, Second Dept 12-31-25

Practice Point: Noxious odors do not support a negligence cause of action because there is no physical injury of property damage (diminished property value is not enough).

Practice Point: Noxious odors support a private nuisance cause of action, even where a large number of private citizens are affected.

 

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DEFENDANT REHABILITATION FACILITY WAS IMMUNE FROM SUIT PURSUANT TO THE EMERGENCY OR DISASTER TREATMENT PROTECTION ACT (EDTPA) RE: PLAINTIFF’S DECEDENT’S COVID-RELATED INFECTION AND DEATH (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the suit against defendant rehabilitation facility alleging plaintiff’s decedent was infected with COVID at the facility, causing her death, should have been dismissed. The defendant facility was immune from suit pursuant to the Emergency or Disaster Treatment Protection Act (EDTPA):

… [T]he EDTPA initially provided, with certain exceptions, that a health care facility shall have immunity from any liability, civil or criminal, for any harm or damages alleged to have been sustained as a result of an act or omission in the course of arranging for or providing health care services as long as three conditions were met: [1] the services were arranged for or provided pursuant to a COVID-19 emergency rule or otherwise in accordance with applicable law; [2] the act or omission was impacted by decisions or activities that were in response to or as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and in support of the State’s directives; and [3] the services were arranged or provided in good faith” … . * * *

The defendant’s submissions, including, inter alia, its various COVID-19 pandemic-related policies and protocols, the directives issued by the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Department of Health and Human Services, and the decedent’s medical records, conclusively established that the defendant was entitled to immunity as the three requirements for immunity under the EDTPA were satisfied (see Public Health Law former § 3082[1] …). Costiera v MMR Care Corp., 2025 NY Slip Op 07373, Second Dept 12-31-25

Practice Point: Consult this decision for an explanation of the criteria for the COVID-related immunity afforded health care facilities pursuant to the EDTPA.​

Similar issues and result in Byington v North Sea Assoc., LLC, 2025 NY Slip Op 07372, Second Dept 12-31-25

 

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DEFENDANT LANDLORD’S SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION IN THIS SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE RAISED QUESTIONS OF FACT ABOUT WHETHER DEFENDANT HAD TRANSFERRED RESPONSIBILITY FOR SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL IN THE AREA OF THE FALL TO PLAINTIFF TENANT AND WHETHER DEFENDANT HAD ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE RECURRING COLLECTION OF WATER AND ICE IN THE AREA OF THE FALL (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the evidence submitted by defendant landlord in this icy-sidewalk slip and fall case failed to eliminate questions of fact about whether defendant had completely relinquished to the plaintiff responsibility for snow and ice removal in the area of the fall and whether defendant had actual knowledge of the depression in the sidewalk and the formation of ice in the area of the fall:

Here, the evidence submitted by the defendant demonstrated that the defendant lived at the property where the plaintiff’s accident occurred. Additionally, at his deposition, the defendant testified that the garbage cans for both sides of the property, which he maintained, were located on the plaintiff’s side of the property and that he approached the garbage cans several times per week both to place trash in the garbage cans and to bring the garbage cans to the street for collection. Moreover, photographs submitted by the defendant depicting the area where the plaintiff fell demonstrated that the garbage cans were stored within a few feet of that area. Although the lease stated that the plaintiff was responsible for cleaning any accumulated snow from the entryway outside his private entrance, the lease also stated that the defendant was required to provide the plaintiff with a shovel and salt to complete this task. Finally, although the plaintiff testified at his deposition that he took care of snow removal for the area where he fell, his son testified at his deposition that in December 2018, approximately one month before the plaintiff’s accident, the defendant had, on a few occasions, placed salt on ice in that area.

… Although the defendant denied knowing about the condition or having any conversations with the plaintiff about this condition, at his deposition, the plaintiff testified that prior to the accident, he had told the defendant “[f]our to five times” about the allegedly defective section of the side yard walkway, including that ice and snow would accumulate there in the winter. Moreover, several of the photographs submitted by the defendant depicted an accumulation of ice and snow in the allegedly defective area where the plaintiff fell. Yongxi Li v Pei Xing Huang, 2025 NY Slip Op 07432, Second Dept 12-31-25

Practice Point: Consult this slip-and-fall decision for succinct explanations of the law concerning the responsibility for snow and ice removal as between a resident landlord and a tenant, as well as a landlord’s actual knowledge of a recurring dangerous condition.

 

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HERE THE OWNER AND GENERAL CONTRACTOR DEMONSTRATED THEY DID NOT EXERCISE SUPERVISION AND CONTROL OVER THE WORK PLAINTIFF WAS DOING WHEN INJURED; THEREFORE THE LABOR LAW 200 AND COMMON LAW NEGLIGENCE CAUSES OF ACTION AGAINST THEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED; THE COURT NOTED THAT THE RIGHT TO GENERALLY SUPERVISE THE WORK OR TO STOP THE WORK FOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE “SUPERVISION AND CONTROL” OF THE WORK WITHIN THE MEANING OF LABOR LAW 200 OR COMMON LAW NEGLIGENCE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, dismissing the Labor Law 200 and negligence causes of action against the owner and general contractor, noted that the right to generally supervise the work, to stop the work for a safety violation or to ensure compliance with safety regulations does not amount to the level of supervision and control of the work for liability under Labor Law 200. Plaintiff worked for a subcontractor and was injured while attempting to guide a heavy concrete object as it was lowered into a hole by a crane:

“The right to generally supervise the work, to stop the work if a safety violation is noted, or to ensure compliance with safety regulations does not amount to the supervision and control of the work necessary to impose liability on an owner or a general contractor pursuant to Labor Law § 200” … . Here, … defendants established … that the alleged incident arose from work performed over which they did not exercise supervision or control … . Kelly v RBSL Realty, LLC, 2025 NY Slip Op 07291, Second Dept 12-24-25

Practice Point: In the context of the requirements for Labor Law 200 and common law negligence liability for construction accidents, the owner’s and/or general contractor’s right to generally supervise the work and/or to stop the work for safety violations does not amount to “supervision and control” of the work.​

 

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IN THIS CHILD VICTIMS ACT CASE, DEFENDANT COUNTY, WHICH HAD ASSUMED CUSTODY OF PLAINTIFF FOSTER CHILD, PLACED PLAINTIFF IN DEFENDANT SCHOOL WHERE SHE ALLEGEDLY WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED BY A TEACHER DAILY FOR SIX MONTHS; THE ALLEGED FREQUENCY OF THE ABUSE RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER DEFENDANTS HAD CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE OF IT (SECOND DEPT).

he Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined this Child Victims Act (CPLR 214-g) action against the county and a school should not have been dismissed. The county had assumed custody over plaintiff, a foster child, and placed her in defendant school. Plaintiff alleged she was sexually abused by a teacher daily for six months. The alleged frequency of the abuse raised a question of fact whether defendants should have known of the abuse (constructive notice):

“By assuming legal custody over [a] foster child, the applicable government official steps in as the sole legal authority responsible for determining who has daily control over the child’s life” … . Therefore, “a municipality owes a duty to a foster child over whom it has assumed legal custody to guard the child from foreseeable risks of harm arising from the child’s placement with the municipality’s choice of foster [home]” … . “In order to find that a child care agency breached its duty to adequately supervise the children entrusted to its care, a plaintiff must establish that the agency had sufficiently specific knowledge or notice of the dangerous conduct which caused injury; that is, that the third-party acts could reasonably have been anticipated” … . “Where the complaint alleges negligent supervision due to injuries related to an individual’s [*2]intentional acts, the plaintiff generally must allege that the entity knew or should have known of the individual’s propensity to engage in such conduct, such that the individual’s acts could be anticipated or were foreseeable” … . M.F. v Putnam County, 2025 NY Slip Op 07283, Second Dept 12-24-25

Practice Point: In Child Victims Act cases alleging sexual abuse by a teacher, courts are finding that allegations of frequent abuse raise a question of fact about whether defendants should have been aware of it.

 

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A LAWSUIT ALLEGING NONCONSENSUAL SEXUAL TOUCHING PURSUANT TO THE ADULT SURVIVORS ACT (CPLR 214-J) NEED NOT ALLEGE PLAINTIFF’S INTIMATE PARTS WERE TOUCHED BY THE DEFENDANT TO STATE A CAUSE OF ACTION; IT IS ENOUGH THAT THE COMPLAINT ALLEGE PLAINTIFF WAS TOUCHED UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH AFFORDED THE DEFENDANT SEXUAL GRATIFICATION (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Wilson, in a matter of first impression, determined that a complaint under the Adult Survivors Act (CPLR 214-j) need not allege the defendant touched plaintiff’s intimate parts to state a cause of action for nonconsensual sexual touching. Here defendant, a doctor, allegedly touched plaintiff’s lower back while she was undressed and standing on a step stool facing away from the defendant to determine whether her kidneys were causing lower back pain. Although defendant did not touch plaintiff’s intimate parts, it was alleged the examination was motivated by sexual gratification:

The Adult Survivors Act (ASA) (CPLR 214-j) is a statute that permits adult survivors of sexual abuse to revive otherwise time-barred civil actions against alleged abusers arising from, among other things, conduct that would constitute a sexual offense under Penal Law article 130. The offense of forcible touching under Penal Law § 130.52(1) requires that there be a nonconsensual touching of “sexual or other intimate parts” of another person for the purpose of degradation or abuse of such person or for the purpose of gratifying the actor’s sexual desire. The offense of sexual abuse in the third degree under Penal Law § 130.55 requires nonconsensual “sexual contact.” This appeal provides our Court with an opportunity to address an issue of first impression in this judicial department regarding how narrow, or broad, we should construe the elemental concepts of sexual touching and sexual contact under the ASA. We hold that where, as here, the alleged nonconsensual touching or sexual contact was to a part of the body other than an anatomically sexual part, in the classic sense, these Penal Law offenses may still qualify as a predicate for an action pursuant to the ASA if the broader facts, manner, and circumstances of the touching or sexual contact involve intimacy or the alleged sexual gratification of the abuser. Aguilar v Wishner, 2025 NY Slip Op 07265, Second Dept 12-24-25

Practice Point: Here the complaint alleged defendant, a doctor, touched plaintiff’s lower back during a physical examination under circumstances which afforded defendant sexual gratification. That was sufficient to state a cause of action under the Adult Survivor’s Act. Under the Act, a plaintiff need not allege defendant touched plaintiff’s intimate parts.

 

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ALTHOUGH THE OFFICER WAS RESPONDING TO AN EMERGENCY WHEN PLAINTIFF’S VEHICLE WAS STRUCK, PLAINTIFF RAISED A QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER THE OFFICER ACTED WITH RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS; SPECIFICALLY QUESTIONS WERE RAISED ABOUT THE EXCESSIVE SPEED OF THE POLICE VEHICLE AND WHETHER THE SIREN WAS ON AS REQUIRED BY DEPARTMENT POLICY (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the defendant city was not entitled to summary judgment dismissing this action stemming from plaintiff’s vehicle being struck by a police vehicle responding to an emergency. Plaintiff raised a question of fact whether the police officer’s conduct rose to the level of reckless disregard for the safety of others. The officer drove in the oncoming lane of traffic where plaintiff was attempting a left turn:

The “reckless disregard standard demands more than a showing of a lack of due care under the circumstances—the showing typically associated with ordinary negligence claims . . . Rather, for liability to be predicated upon a violation of Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1104, there must be evidence that the actor has intentionally done an act of an unreasonable character in disregard of a known or obvious risk that was so great as to make it highly probable that harm would follow and has done so with conscious indifference to the outcome” … . Although the reckless disregard standard is a heightened standard compared to ordinary negligence, it “retains and recognizes the potential for liability as a protection for the general public against disproportionate, overreactive conduct” … . * * *

… [P]laintiff’s submissions raise questions of fact as to the speed at which the officer’s vehicle was traveling at the time of the accident and whether the officer was operating the siren in his vehicle, which would have been required by department policy … . Gwathney v City of Buffalo, 2025 NY Slip Op 07175, Fourth Dept 12-23-25

Practice Point: Here in this police-emergency-traffic-accident case, questions of fact about the speed of the police vehicle (in the oncoming lane where plaintiff was attempting a left turn) and whether the siren was on as required by department policy precluded summary judgment.

 

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AN ARCH-SHAPED BOLLARD (A BARRIER TO PROTECT A TREE FROM VEHICLES USING A PARKING LOT) IS SUBJECT TO THE WRITTEN-NOTICE REQUIREMENT IN THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW; HERE THE BOLLARD, WHICH FELL OVER WHEN A CHILD TRIED TO SWING ON IT, WAS INSTALLED 14 YEARS AGO; BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WRITTEN-NOTICE AND BECAUSE THE DANGEROUS CONDITION WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY APPARENT WHEN THE BOLLARD WAS INSTALLED, THE CITY WAS NOT LIABLE (CT APP). ​

The Court of Appeals, affirming the Appellate Division, determined an arch-shaped bollard (a barrier to protect a tree from damage by vehicles using a parking lot), which fell over when a child attempted to swing on it, was subject to the written-notice requirement in the General Municipal Law. Because the city did not have written notice of the dangerous condition it cannot be held not liable. The Court of Appeals noted that a parking lot is a “highway” within the meaning of the General Municipal Law section 50-e “written notice” requirement:

Prior written notice is not required “where the locality created the defect or hazard through an affirmative act of negligence” which “immediately results in the existence of a dangerous condition” … . The exception is meant to “address[] situations where a hazard was foreseeable, insofar as the municipality created it” as opposed to situations where there is “difficulty in determining, after the passage of time,” whether the municipality was initially negligent … .

Plaintiffs failed to meet their burden raising a triable issue of fact as to whether the City caused or created an immediately dangerous condition through an act of affirmative negligence … . Nor did the affidavit from plaintiffs’ expert create a triable issue of fact as to the City’s affirmative negligence because, among other things, it did not tend to establish that the City left behind an unsafe condition at the time it installed the bollard 14 years prior to the accident. Although the expert opined that the bollard was unsafe from “the moment” it was installed, they failed to explain this conclusory opinion through reliance on industry standards or empirical data, nor did they explain how their “professional experience in construction” supported their conclusion … . Rather, the summary judgment record suggests that, to the extent the installation method created a defect, any such defect resulted from the effects of environmental conditions over time. Gurbanova v City of Ithaca, 2025 NY Slip Op 07076, CtApp 12-18-25

Practice Point: A parking lot is a “highway” for purposes of the General Municipal Law 50-e “written notice” requirement.

Practice Point: A bollard (a post which serves as a vehicle-barrier in a parking lot) is subject to the “highway” “written-notice” requirement in the General Municipal Law.

 

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HERE SUPREME COURT CORRECTLY REFUSED TO VACATE THE DEFAULT JUDGMENT IN THIS PERSONAL INJURY CASE; BUT THE SECOND DEPARTMENT VACATED THE $385,000 INQUEST-JUDGMENT BECAUSE PLAINTIFF’S TESTIMONY DID NOT SUFFICIENTLY DEMONSTRATE THE EXTENT OF THE INJURIES (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined Supreme Court correctly denied defendant’s motion to vacate a default judgment in a personal injury case because she failed to provide a reasonable excuse. Plaintiff alleged he stepped in a hole on defendant’s property, twisted his foot and fell. But the $385,000 damages judgment was vacated by the Second Department because plaintiff’s testimony at the inquest was deemed insufficient to demonstrate the extent of the injuries. A new inquest was ordered:

… [A]lthough this Court is not relieving the defendant of her default, “[a]n unwarranted and excessive award after inquest will not be sustained, as to do otherwise ‘would be tantamount to granting the plaintiffs an open season at the expense of a defaulting defendant'” … . Here, the plaintiff’s vague testimony at the inquest was insufficient to determine to what extent the plaintiff’s injuries were attributable to the subject accident and, therefore, whether the amount awarded was warranted. Thus, under the circumstances of this case, the Supreme Court should have granted that branch of the defendant’s motion which was to vacate the judgment, and we remit the matter to the Supreme Court, Nassau County, for a new inquest on the issue of damages, and for the entry of an appropriate amended judgment thereafter … . Albano v Roehrig, 2025 NY Slip Op 06839, Second Dept 12-10-25

Practice Point: Despite losing a motion to vacate a default judgment, a defendant may still successfully move to vacate a judgment awarded after an inquest on the ground the evidence offered at the inquest did not sufficiently demonstrate the extent of the plaintiff’s injuries.

 

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HERE, IN SEEKING LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM AGAINST A CITY HOSPITAL ALLEGING MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, THE PETITIONER DID NOT SUBMIT THE MEDICAL RECORDS; THEREFORE THE PETITIONER DID NOT SHOW THAT THE HOSPITAL HAD TIMELY KNOWLEDGE OF THE CLAIM; LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (SECOND DEPT). ​

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court and dismissing the action, determined the petition for leave to file a late notice of claim, alleging medical malpractice, negligence and violation of the Public Health Law on behalf of decedent, should not have been granted. The petitioner did not establish that the city had timely knowledge of the claim, which is the most important criterium for allowing late notice:

​”Merely having or creating hospital records, without more, does not establish actual knowledge of a potential injury where the records do not evince that the medical staff, by its acts or omissions, inflicted any injury on plaintiff” … . The petitioner’s “failure to submit evidence of the contents of the alleged records is fatal to [her] argument that the [appellant] acquired actual knowledge from the existence of such records” … . Additionally, there is no suggestion in the record that the appellant refused to produce the medical records or that the petitioner sought to compel the appellant to produce any papers necessary to the determination of the petition pursuant to CPLR 409(a) … . Matter of Giustra v New York City Health & Hosps. Corp., 2025 NY Slip Op 06862, Second Dept 12-10-25

Practice Point: The most important criterium for leave to file a late notice of claim is evidence the city had timely knowledge of the claim. Medical records, depending on their contents, can (but do not necessarily) demonstrate timely knowledge of the claim. Here petitioner did not submit the medical records and therefore did not even attempt to demonstrate the city’s timely knowledge of the nature of the medical malpractice claim. The mere existence of medical records is not enough.​

 

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