Court Opinion

ID: 9965024
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-05-01 15:10:16.313234+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:24:40.391553
License: Public Domain

Portillo v TSTY Owner LLC
               2024 NY Slip Op 31489(U)
                     April 25, 2024
           Supreme Court, New York County
        Docket Number: Index No. 157187/2020
                  Judge: Sabrina Kraus
Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip
 Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York
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                       publication.
                                                                                                                         INDEX NO. 157187/2020
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 71                                                                                               RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/25/2024

                                   SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
                                             NEW YORK COUNTY
            PRESENT:             HON. SABRINA KRAUS                                                  PART                             57M
                                                                                       Justice
            ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------X      INDEX NO.          157187/2020
             ELIO PORTILLO,
                                                                                                     MOTION DATE         01/02/2024
                                                         Plaintiff,
                                                                                                     MOTION SEQ. NO.         001
                                                 - V -

             TSTY OWNER LLC, LENDLEASE (US) CONSTRUCTION
                                                                                                       DECISION + ORDER ON
             INC., TSTY CREATE LLC
                                                                                                             MOTION
                                                         Defendants.
            ------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------X

            The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 001) 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,
            39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61, 62, 63,64,65, 66,
            67, 68, 69, 70
            were read on this motion to/for                                                       JUDGMENT-SUMMARY

                                                           BACKGROUND

                      Plaintiff commenced this action seeking damages under the labor law for injuries he

            alleges he suffered while performing concrete work on a construction site.

                      On January 30, 2024, Plaintiff moved for summary judgment on liability on his Labor

            Law§ 240(1) claim. On March 29, 2024, Defendants cross-moved for dismissal of said claim.

            On April 26, 2024, the motions were marked submitted.

                      The Court finds there are triable issues of fact regarding the manner in which the accident

            occurred and as such the motion and cross-motion are denied.

                                                         ALLEGED FACTS

                      Plaintiff was employed by trade contractor Caulk Construction Corp. and/or Bunlin,

            LLC, as a carpenter, doing concrete work, at a premises owned by TSTY Owner, LLC . TSTY

            Create, LLC, an agent of the owner, retained Lendlease (US) Construction, Inc., as a general

             157187/2020 PORTILLO, ELIO vs. TSTY OWNER LLC                                                               Page 1 of4
             Motion No. 001

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                                                                                                    INDEX NO. 157187/2020
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 71                                                                        RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/25/2024

            contractor/construction manager and retained Caulk and/or Bunlin for the carpentry concrete

            work.

                     Plaintiff was required to perform concrete work in the basement on its walls, which

            required a ladder to reach the upper wall. Plaintiff alleges he went to retrieve an A-frame ladder

            permitted for use for this work, but he first had to remove a 15-20 pound "L" shaped metal plate

            left at the top of the ladder, before he could relocate the ladder to where he needed to work.

            Plaintiff alleges he climbed the fully open ladder, lifted the metal plate, and dropped it to the

            floor when the ladder then moved, causing him to fall backwards. Plaintiff alleges his left foot

            and ankle landed in a hole in the concrete floor and his body landed backwards on the floor,

            injuring his left ankle, knee, back, and neck.

                     There were no other witnesses to the accident.

                     Defendants allege that Plaintiff reported that he injured himself when he twisted or turned

            his ankle while carrying a ladder. In response, an incident report was immediately prepared. The

            report, signed by Plaintiff states, "At 7:45 a.m., Elio Portillo was in the cellar level w side by the

            network protection room carrying a ladder. As he was walking, he slipped and twisted his left

            foot."

                     Plaintiff sought medical attention from the onsite medic who, after speaking to Plaintiff,

            wrote that the Plaintiff was "walking on the cellar level and he slipped on the wet floor and fell

            spraining his ankle."

                     Plaintiff also reported his accident to his foremen, Jose Aviles and Juan Martinez, who

            have provided affidavits stating that Plaintiff told them twisted his ankle while carrying a ladder.

             157187/2020 PORTILLO, ELIO vs. TSTY OWNER LLC                                          Page 2 of 4
             Motion No. 001

                                                             2 of 4
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                                                                                                  INDEX NO. 157187/2020
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 71                                                                      RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/25/2024

                                                   DISCUSSION

                   Summary judgment is a drastic remedy reserved for those cases where there is no doubt

            as to the existence of material and triable issues of fact (Sillman v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film

            Corp., 3 N.Y.2d 395,404, 165 N.Y.S.2d 498, 144 N.E.2d 387 [1957] ).

                   To prevail on a motion for summary judgment, the movant must establish, prima facie,

            its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law, providing sufficient evidence demonstrating the

            absence of any triable issues of fact. CPLR 3212(b); Matter ofNew York City Asbestos Litig., 33

            NY3d 20, 25-26 (2019). If this burden is met, the opponent must offer evidence in admissible

            form demonstrating the existence of factual issues requiring a trial; "conclusions, expressions of

            hope, or unsubstantiated allegations or assertions are insufficient." Justinian Capital SPC v

            WestLB AG, 28 NY3d 160, 168 (2016), quoting Gilbert Frank Corp. v Fed. Ins. Co., 70 NY2d

            966, 967 (1988).

                   In deciding the motion, the evidence must be viewed in the "light most favorable to the

            opponent of the motion and [the court] must give that party the benefit of every favorable

            inference." 0 'Brien v Port Auth. of New York and New Jersey, 29 NY3d 27, 37 (2017).

                   Plaintiffs moving papers are sufficient to establish a prima facie case for summary

           judgment showing that his injuries were proximately caused by a violation of Labor Law § 240

            (1) by submitting his testimony that the ladder that he was using to slid causing him to fall. See

            egMelendez v. 1595 Broadway LLC, 214 A.D.3d 600, 601 (2023). However. in response

            Defendants have raised a triable issue of fact as to how the accident took place, relying on prior

            inconsistent statements Plaintiff allegedly made to Aviles and Martinez, as well as the statements

            reflected in the incident report and medics report.

             157187/2020 PORTILLO, ELIO vs. TSTY OWNER LLC                                        Page 3 of 4
             Motion No. 001

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  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 71                                                                            RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/25/2024

                    These triable issues of fact preclude an award of summary judgment to either party. See

            eg Vargas v Con Edison Co. ofNY, Inc. 224 AD3d 581(1 st Dept., 2024); Smigielski v Teachers

            Insurance and Annuity Association ofAmerica 137 AD3d 676 (1 st Dept., 2016); Albino v 221-

            223 West 82 Owners Corp. 142 AD3d 799 (1 st Dept., 2016); Ellerbe v Port Auth. ofNY & NJ9l

            AD3d 441 (1 st Dept., 2012); Stephens v Tri borough Bridge & Tunnel Auth. 55 AD3d 410 (1 st

            Dept., 2008); Jones v West 56th St. Assoc. 33 AD3d 551 (1 st Dept., 2006); Rodriguez v New York

            City Haus. Auth. 194 AD2d 460 (1 st Dept., 1993).

                    WHEREFORE it is hereby:

                    ORDERED that the motion and cross-motion are denied; and it is further;

                    ORDERED that counsel appear for a virtual pre-trial conference before the Court on May

            30th , 2024 at 2:30 pm at which time a trial date will be set; and it is further

                    ORDERED that any relief not expressly addressed has nonetheless been considered and

            is hereby denied.

                    This constitutes the decision and order of the Court.

                    4/25/2024

                                                                        8
                      DATE                                                          SABRINA KRAUS, J.S.C.

                                     ~
             CHECK ONE:                   CASE DISPOSED                     NON-FINAL DISPOSITION

                                          GRANTED         0    DENIED      GRANTED IN PART           □ OTHER
             APPLICATION:                 SETTLE ORDER                      SUBMIT ORDER

             CHECK IF APPROPRIATE:        INCLUDES TRANSFER/REASSIGN        FIDUCIARY APPOINTMENT    □ REFERENCE

             157187/2020 PORTILLO, ELIO vs. TSTY OWNER LLC                                            Page4 of 4
             Motion No. 001

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