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THERE IS A QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER A DRUG, WHICH CAN DISSOLVE BLOOD CLOTS IN MINUTES, SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADMINISTERED TO PLAINTIFF WHO WAS SUFFERING FROM A PULMONARY EMBOLISM UPON ADMISSION; SUPREME COURT REVERSED; TWO-JUSTICE DISSENT (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Manzanet-Daniels, over a two-justice dissent, determined that the defendants’ motion for summary judgment in this medical malpractice case should not have been granted. The opinion is fact-specific and too detailed to fairly summarize here. The majority concluded there was a question of fact whether the administration of a drug, which defendants averred was contraindicated, would have saved decedent’s life. Decedent  was suffering from a pulmonary embolism upon admission. The staff waited hours for blood tests and an angiogram to confirm the diagnosis. A drug which can dissolve blood clots in minutes was not administered. Barry v Lee, 2019 NY Slip Op 09397, First Dept 12-26-19

 

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GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW 5-321 VOIDS A LEASE PROVISION ABSOLVING THE LANDLORD OF LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE TO A TENANT’S PROPERTY CAUSED BY THE LANDLORD’S NEGLIGENCE, BUT DOES NOT VOID A LEASE PROVISION ABSOLVING THE LANDLORD OF LIABILITY FOR THE TENANT’S LOST PROFITS CAUSED BY THE LANDLORD’S NEGLIGENCE (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department noted that the exculpatory clauses in the lease which relieved the landlord from liability for the tenant’s lost profits caused by the landlord’s negligence is not void pursuant to General Obligations Law (GOL) 5-321. GOL 5-321 refers only to property damage, not lost profits:

The claim for lost profits, however, was properly dismissed. General Obligations Law § 5-321 provides:

“Every covenant, agreement or understanding in or in connection with or collateral to any lease of real property exempting the lessor from liability for damages for injuries to person or property caused by or resulting from the negligence of the lessor, his agents, servants or employees, in the operation or maintenance of the demised premises or the real property containing the demised premises shall be deemed to be void as against public policy and wholly unenforceable.”

The exculpatory clauses in the lease relieving defendants of liability for lost profits resulting from their own negligence are not void under General Obligations Law § 5-321 because lost profits are distinct from property damage … . …

Moreover, paragraph 23 of the lease amendment specifically provides that “[n]otwithstanding anything to the contrary . . . Tenant waives, to the full extent permitted by law, any claim for consequential or punitive damages in connection [with damage to Tenant’s property]”  … . In view of this unequivocal exculpatory clause stating that no other provision in the lease shall entitle the tenant to consequential damages, the claim for lost profits is barred … . Chaitman v Moezinia, 2019 NY Slip Op 09396, First Dept 12-26-19

 

PLAINTIFF’S LABOR LAW 240(1) AND 241(6) CAUSES OF ACTION SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMISSED; PLAINTIFF FELL ATTEMPTING TO USE AN INVERTED BUCKET TO STEP UP TO AN ELEVATED PLATFORM (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff’s Labor Law 240(1) and 241(6) causes of action should not have been dismissed. Plaintiff fell attempting to use an inverted bucket to access an elevated platform:

The protection of Labor Law § 240(1) encompasses plaintiff[‘s] … fall while trying to access an elevated work platform by stepping up onto an inverted bucket, an inadequate safety device that failed to provide proper protection … . Moreover, defendants failed to cite any evidence rebutting the affidavit by plaintiff’s foreman stating that stairs or other access points to the work platform were either restricted or blocked by materials. Because no safety devices were available to plaintiff to access the platform, as a matter of fact and law, plaintiff’s attempt to use the inverted bucket cannot be the sole proximate cause of his accident … .

Because no stairways, ramps, or runaways were available to plaintiff to access the platform, he was entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law § 241(6) claim predicated upon Industrial Code (12 NYCRR) § 23-1.7(f) … . Ferguson v Durst Pyramid, LLC, 2019 NY Slip Op 09388, First Dept 12-26-19

 

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DEFENDANTS PRESENTED NO EVIDENCE OF SNOW REMOVAL EFFORTS OR LACK OF CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE IN THIS ICE-ON-SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE; DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GRANTED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, determined defendants’ motion for summary judgment in the ice-on-sidewalk slip and fall case should not have been granted:

[Defendants] failed to sustain their initial burden of demonstrating that they neither created nor had actual or constructive knowledge of the icy condition of the sidewalk … . Neither presented evidence concerning snow removal immediately prior to plaintiff’s accident and/or their lack of notice of the condition … . Burton v Khedouri Ezair Corp., 2019 NY Slip Op 09379, First Dept 12-26-19

 

QUESTION OF FACT WHETHER SNAKING A WIRE ABOVE CEILING TILES IS ‘CONSTRUCTION’ WITHIN THE MEANING OF LABOR LAW 241(6); SUPREME COURT REVERSED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff’s Labor Law 241(6) cause of action should not have been dismissed. Plaintiff was injured while snaking a wire about ceiling tiles. Supreme Court held the work was not “construction” within the meaning of the statute and the First Department disagreed:

Labor Law § 241(6) requires owners, contractors and their agents to provide a safe workplace for workers performing “construction, excavation or demolition work.” “In determining what constitutes construction’ for purposes of the statute we look to the Industrial Code which, as relevant here, defines construction to include alteration of a structure” … .

We find that an issue of fact is raised as to whether plaintiff was altering the structure when he was pulling cable above the drop ceiling … . In his deposition plaintiff stated that, in order to access the cable, plaintiff pushed a ceiling tile “over to the next tile.” He described his work at the time of the accident as “going up into the ceiling . . . to figure out where we were going with the cable.” Plaintiff had been provided with a saw to cut holes in the wall and ceiling when necessary. … [A]s “running cables” is considered to be a “significant physical change” to fall within the purview of alteration and not “routine” maintenance, there remains a question of fact as to whether plaintiff’s work constituted an alteration within the meaning of Labor Law § 241(6). Emery v Steinway, Inc., 2019 NY Slip Op 09368, First Dept 12-26-19

 

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INSURANCE REGULATION WHICH PROHIBITS TITLE INSURERS FROM PROVIDING VALUABLE INDUCEMENTS TO ATTRACT TITLE INSURANCE BUSINESS IS NOT UNCONSTITUTIONALLY VAGUE, SUPREME COURT REVERSED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined Insurance Regulation 208 (11 NYCRR part 228), which prohibits title insurers from providing valuable inducements to attract title insurance business, is not unconstitutionally vague:

Petitioners contend that section 228.2(c) is unconstitutionally vague in setting forth a non-exhaustive list of activities that are “permissible, provided[,]” among other things, that they are “reasonable and customary, and not lavish or excessive” … . The court should have rejected this vagueness challenge, since section 228.2(c) “is sufficiently definite to give a person of ordinary intelligence fair notice that his contemplated conduct is forbidden,” and “the enactment provides officials with clear standards for enforcement so as to avoid resolution on an ad hoc and subjective basis” … . … [T}he words “lavish” and “excessive,” standing in clear contrast with the word “reasonable,” provide adequate notice of the type of behavior that is proscribed. The word “customary” also sets forth a standard that can be understood by an ordinary person … . …

The provisions of section 228.2(c) generally permitting advertising, charitable contributions, and political contributions are consistent with the right to free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and article I, § 8 of the New York Constitution. … The content-neutral provisions at issue in this case are narrowly tailored to the substantial government interest of clarifying a statute intended to “prevent consumers from being required to subsidize unscrupulous exchanges of valuable things for real estate professionals” … , and that interest is “unrelated to the suppression of free expression” …  .  Matter of New York State Land Tit. Assn., Inc. v New York State Dept. of Fin. Servs., 2019 NY Slip Op 09366, First Dept 12-26-19

 

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CROSS-EXAMINATION OF A POLICE OFFICER ABOUT A CIVIL LAWSUIT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED; CONVICTION REVERSED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing defendant’s conviction, determined the hearing and trial courts should have allowed cross-examination of a police officer about a lawsuit naming the officer:

Both the hearing and trial courts erred in denying defendant’s request to cross-examine a police officer regarding allegations of misconduct in a civil lawsuit in which it was claimed, among other things, that this particular officer arrested the plaintiff without suspicion of criminality and lodged false charges against him … . The civil complaint contained specific allegations of falsification by this officer that bore on his credibility at both the hearing and trial. At each proceeding, this officer was the only witness for the People. People v Burgess, 2019 NY Slip Op 09364, First Dept 12-26-19

 

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A PORTION OF THE NYC CHARTER WHICH ALLOWS UNLIMITED SEARCHES OF PAWNBROKERS, THEIR PERSONNEL, PREMISES, MERCHANDISE AND PAPERS IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL; THE UNDERLYING REGULATORY SCHEMES ADDRESSING REPORTING REQUIREMENTS AND INSPECTIONS ARE NOT UNCONSTITUTIONAL (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department determined that the portion of the NY City Charter which gave the police commissioner the power to examine pawnbrokers, their personnel, premises, merchandise and papers was facially unconstitutional because there was no limit on the scope of the searches and allowed for immediate arrest. However the reporting requirements imposed on pawnbrokers are constitutional:

… [W]e hold that NY City Charter § 436 is facially unconstitutional to the extent that it provides that the commissioner “shall have power to examine such persons, their clerks and employees and their books, business premises, and any articles of merchandise in their possession” … . That portion of NY City Charter § 436 is facially unconstitutional because it is unlimited in scope, and provides “no meaningful limitation on the discretion of the inspecting officers” … . NY City Charter § 436 contains no limits on the time, place, and scope of searches of persons or property. It contains no record keeping requirements and it authorizes an immediate arrest for a failure to comply. * * *

… [W]ith respect to the reporting requirements contained in the statutory and regulatory scheme, we … conclude that there is little or no expectation of privacy in the reported information, whether in traditional paper or electronic form, and that the requirements at issue, which are imposed on a closely regulated industry, sufficiently describe and limit the information to be provided, and are reasonably related to the regulatory authority of the agency to which the information is provided … .

With respect to the inspection programs … [:] The regulatory scheme here was not created solely to uncover evidence of criminality. Rather it serves to enforce the reporting requirements that provide consumer protection. Collateral Loanbrokers Assn. of N.Y., Inc. v City of New York, 2019 NY Slip Op 09354, First Dept 12-26-19

 

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AN INQUIRY INTO DEFENDANT’S MENTAL HEALTH WAS REQUIRED BEFORE ALLOWING DEFENDANT TO REPRESENT HIMSELF; THE RESULTS OF CPL ARTICLE 730 EXAMS, OF WHICH THE PRESIDING JUDGE WAS NOT MADE AWARE AT THE TIME OF THE REQUEST TO PROCEED PRO SE, INDICATING DEFENDANT MAY BE DELUSIONAL, CONSTITUTED ‘RED FLAGS’ WARRANTING THE INQUIRY (FIRST DEPT). ​

The First Department, reversing defendant’s conviction, over a dissent, determined defendant’s request to represent himself should not have been granted without further inquiry into defendant’s mental health. The First Department found that the results of defendant’s CPL Article 730 competency exams, finding that defendant may have been delusional, constituted “red flags” that warranted further inquiry before allowing defendant to represent himself:

Not every indication of a defendant’s mental infirmity mandates inquiry. Expressions of paranoia or distrust of an attorney, common for many defendants, are not red flags … . Nor is a defendant’s belief that he or she was framed by police … . On the other hand, notwithstanding a CPL Article 730 exam finding defendant fit, court observations that a defendant was irrational and had a tendency to “fly off the handle” warranted a searching inquiry into defendant’s mental capacity … . So too, inquiry was warranted where defendant was observed by the court to be unruly, volatile and physically menacing … . In many cases, whether or not the behavior would trigger an inquiry may be a question of degree. * * *

Defendant appeared for trial before a justice who was presiding over the case for the first time. Defense counsel informed the court that defendant wished to proceed pro se. Neither defense counsel nor the prosecution made the court aware of defendant’s CPL Article 730 exams or the potential for him to be experiencing delusional thoughts. Although the trial court conducted an extensive colloquy with defendant regarding the waiver of the right to counsel, at no point did the court inquire into defendant’s mental health. We find that, notwithstanding other aspects of the record supporting defendant’s capacity, the information in the CPL Article 730 reports indicating a potential for delusional thought was a red flag that required a particularized assessment of defendant’s mental capacity before resolving his request to proceed pro se … . People v Zi, 2019 NY Slip Op 09353, First Dept 12-26-19

 

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ALTHOUGH THE ALLEGED RETALIATORY ACTIONS BY THE EMPLOYER TOOK PLACE YEARS AFTER PLAINTIFF STOPPED WORKING FOR THE EMPLOYER, THE COMPLAINT STATED VALID CAUSES OF ACTION FOR RETALIATORY EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION AND PROMISSORY ESTOPPEL, SUPREME COURT REVERSED (FIRST DEPT). ​

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, reinstated the retaliation (employment discrimination) and promissory estoppel causes of action against Artforum International Magazine. Plaintiff, an art curator, alleged sexual harassment by an Artforum publisher. After meeting with the two other publishers about the alleged harassment, the publishers allegedly promised to ensure the harassment would never happen again. Instead, plaintiff alleged, the publishers retaliated against her. The central issue on appeal is whether the actions by Artforum, which took place after plaintiff had left the magazine’s employment, could still be subject to the employment-discrimination prohibitions of the New York City Human Rights Law (NYC Administrative Code 8-107). The First Department held that the close-knit nature of the fine art business, and the effect the alleged retaliation by Artforum can have on plaintiff’s career in the art world, warranted finding plaintiff had stated valid causes of action:

… [T]here is jurisprudential grounding for expanding the boundaries of the employment context that is central to discrimination and retaliation claims in section 8-107(7) to the extent necessary to provide redress when there exists some nexus between the retaliatory harm alleged and a relationship characterized in some manner as one of employment, past or present. …

Similar reasoning can be justified in reading some expansiveness into the undefined and similarly ambiguous term “employment” for remedying retaliation under Administrative Code section 8-107(7). However, some safeguards are necessary to avoid the unintended consequence of allowing a lawsuit against a party who happens to be a plaintiff’s former employer on a retaliation theory when there is no reasonable connection between the harm alleged and that economic relationship. The plaintiff, if not a current employee, should be shown to occupy a subordinate position in an ongoing economic relationship that is threatened by the “employer’s” retaliation, and the nature of the retaliation itself should have a demonstrable nexus to the harm being alleged. Schmitt v Artforum Intl. Mag., Inc., 2019 NY Slip Op 09352, First Dept 12-26-19

 

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