Court Opinion

ID: 9927376
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-01-26 21:07:42.567831+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:25:14.385780
License: Public Domain

Turnball v City of New York
               2024 NY Slip Op 30271(U)
                    January 22, 2024
             Supreme Court, Kings County
        Docket Number: Index No. 513626/2019
                Judge: Francois A. Rivera
Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip
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                       publication.
  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/22/2024 04:11 PM                                                   INDEX NO. 513626/2019
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 131                                                                      RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/22/2024

                                                                                   At an IAS Term, Part 52 of
                                                                                   the Supreme Court of the
                                                                                   State of New York, held in
                                                                                   and for the County of Kings,
                                                                                   at the Courthouse, at Civic
                                                                                   Center, Brooklyn, New York,
                                                                                   on the 22nd day of January
                                                                                   2024

            HONORABLE FRANCOIS A. RIVERA
            -------------------------------------------------------------------X
            STEVEN TURNBALL,                                                       DECISION & ORDER

                                         Plaintiff,                                Index No.: 513626/2019

                                  - against -

            THE CITY OF NEW YORK, FUSHIMI, FOURTH AVENUE
            SUPERCENTER CORP., CITY 9316, INC., LIFE QUALITY
            MOTOR SALES, INC. D/B/A BMW OF BROOKLYN AND
            9326 FOURTH AVENUE, LLC,

                                          Defendants.
            -------------------------------------------------------------------X
                     Recitation in accordance with CPLR 2219 (a) of the papers considered on the notice of
            motion jointly filed by Life Quality Motor Sales, Inc. D/B/A BMW of Brooklyn and 9326 Fourth
            Avenue, LLC (hereinafter LQMS defendants) on June 9, 2023, under motion sequence three, for
            an order pursuant to CPLR 3212 dismissing the complaint of plaintiff Steven Turnball and all
            cross claims asserted against it. The motion is opposed.

            -Notice of Motion
            -Statement of material facts
            -Affirmation in Support
                   Exhibits A-F
            -Affirmation in opposition
                   Exhibits 1-5
            -Amended affirmation in opposition
            -Memorandum of law in opposition
                   Exhibit A-D
            -counterstatement of material facts
            -Affirmation in reply

                   Recitation in accordance with CPLR 2219 (a) of the papers considered on the notice of
            motion jointly filed by Fushimi, Fourth Avenue Supercenter Corp., and City 9316, INC
            (hereinafter the Fushimi defendants) on June 12, 2023, under motion sequence four, for an order

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  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/22/2024 04:11 PM                                                  INDEX NO. 513626/2019
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 131                                                                     RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/22/2024

            pursuant to CPLR 3212 dismissing the complaint of plaintiff Steven Turnball and all cross
            claims asserted against it. The motion is opposed.

                   -Notice of Motion
                   -Affirmation in Support
                   -Statement of material facts
                          Exhibits A-C
                   -Affirmation in opposition
                          Exhibits 1-5
                   -Amended affirmation in opposition
                   -Memorandum of law in opposition
                          Exhibit A-D
                   -counterstatement of material facts

            BACKGROUND

                   On June 20, 2019, the plaintiff commenced the instant action for damages for personal

            injuries by filing a summons and verified complaint with the Kings County Clerk’s office. The

            action was asserted against the City of New York (hereinafter NYC) and the Fushimi defendants.

            On August 5, 20219, the Fushimi defendants interposed and filed a joint answer to the verified

            complaint with cross claims asserted against NYC. On May 13, 2021, NYC interposed and filed

            an answer to the verified complaint with cross claims against the Fushimi defendants.

                   On January 19, 2021, plaintiff commenced a second action for damages for personal

            injury by filing of summons and verified complaint under Index Number 501354/2019. The

            second action was asserted against BMW of Brooklyn and 936 Fourth Avenue LLC. On May 5,

            2021, LQMS d/b/a BMW of Brooklyn and 936 Fourth Avenue LLC interposed and filed a

            verified answer to the verified complaint in the second action.

                   On December 9, 2021, the first and the second action were consolidated under index

            number 513626/2019. The consolidated verified complaints and plaintiff sworn testimony allege

            the following salient facts. On January 21, 2019, the plaintiff was caused to trip and fall upon a

            dangerous or defective sidewalk condition near the Fushimi Restaurant located at 9316 4th

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  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/22/2024 04:11 PM                                                    INDEX NO. 513626/2019
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 131                                                                      RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/22/2024

            Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Plaintiff had walked past a car dealership before he fell.

            Plaintiff’s fell due to a dangerous and uneven condition on the sidewalk.

            LAW AND APPLICATION

                   To make out a prima facie case of negligence against a defendant in a personal injury

            negligence action, plaintiff must prove (1) that defendant owed a duty of care to plaintiff, (2) that

            defendant breached that duty of care, and (3) that plaintiff’s injury was proximately caused by

            that breach of the duty of care (Solomon by Solomon v. City of New York, 66 N.Y.2d 1026

            [1985]).   A defendant moving for summary judgment in a trip-and-fall case has the burden of

            establishing that it did not create the hazardous condition that allegedly caused the fall, and did

            not have actual or constructive notice of that condition for a sufficient length of time to discover

            and remedy it (Ash v. City of New York, 109 A.D.3d 854, 855 [2nd Dept 2013]; see Madden v.

            3240 Henry Hudson Parkway, LLC, 192 A.D.3d 1095, 1095–1096 [2nd Dept 2021]). Whether a

            dangerous or defective condition exists on the property of another to create liability depends on

            the peculiar facts and circumstances of each case and is generally a question of fact for the jury

            (Leem v. 152-24 N., LLC, 201 A.D.3d 918, 919 [2nd Dept 2022] citing Trincere v. County of

            Suffolk, 90 N.Y.2d 976, 977 [1997]).

                   New York City Administrative Code § 7-210, which became effective September 14,

            2003, shifted tort liability from the City of New York to the commercial property owner for

            personal injuries proximately caused by the owner's failure to maintain the sidewalk abutting its

            premises in a reasonably safe condition. However, Administrative Code of the City of New

            York § 7–210 does not impose strict liability upon the property owner, and the injured party has

            the obligation to prove the elements of negligence to demonstrate that an owner is liable

            (Gambino v. 475 Park Ave. S., LLC, 197 A.D.3d 621, 622 [2nd Dept 2021]).

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  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/22/2024 04:11 PM                                                    INDEX NO. 513626/2019
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 131                                                                      RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/22/2024

            LQMS Defendants CPLR 3212 Motion

                   The LQMS defendants allege that plaintiff’s fall occurred close to the property line

            between two commercial properties. They further allege that the area in question was not under

            their control, and that the alleged sidewalk defect was an open and obvious condition.

            Utilizing the plaintiff’s testimony describing the location of his fall, the LQMS contend that the

            area of plaintiff’s accident was not abutting their property but instead abutting the Fushimi

            restaurant.

                   In support of this contention, they annexed, among other things, the affidavit of Vincent

            J. Dicce (hereinafter Dicce), a professional land surveyor and the president of Boro Land

            Surveying, P.C. Dicce avrred that the LQMS defendants retained Boro Land Surveying, P.C. to

            conduct a sidewalk survey at 9316-9326 4th Avenue, Block 6107 Lots 37-41, Kings County, New

            York, and the sidewalk survey annexed to his affidavit was the one that the company performed.

            Dicce did not aver that he participated in the conducting of the survey. His affidavit did not

            attest to the accuracy of the survey or interpret and explain its meaning. Therefore, the survey

            and Dicce’s affidavit had no probative value (Mu Cheng Lau v. Yuen Keung Lai, 43 Misc. 3d

            1220(A), 997 N.Y.S.2d 99 [Sup. Ct. 2014] citing, Seaman v. Three Vil. Garden Club, Inc., 67

            AD3d 889 [2nd Dept 2009]; Greenberg v. Manlon Realty, 43 A.D.2d 968, 969 [2nd Dept 1974]).

                   The LQMS defendants also contended that the raised sidewalk condition was open and

            obvious as demonstrated from photographs of the condition which they had annexed to their

            motion papers. However, they did not contend nor demonstrate that the condition is not

            inherently dangerous. Proof that a dangerous condition is open and obvious does not preclude a

            finding of liability against a landowner for the failure to maintain the property in a safe condition

            but is relevant to the issue of the plaintiff's comparative negligence (Crosby v. Southport, LLC,

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  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/22/2024 04:11 PM                                                   INDEX NO. 513626/2019
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 131                                                                     RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/22/2024

            169 A.D.3d 637, 640 [2nd Dept 2019], Cupo v. Karfunkel, 1 A.D.3d 48, 52 [2003]; see Lopez–

            Calderone v. Lang–Viscogliosi, 127 A.D.3d 1143, 1145 [2nd Dept 2015]). Thus, to obtain

            summary judgment, a defendant must establish that a condition was both open and obvious and,

            as a matter of law, was not inherently dangerous (see Cupo v. Karfunkel, 1 A.D.3d at 52). In

            such circumstances, the condition which caused the accident cannot fairly be attributed to any

            negligent maintenance of the property (id.).

                   For the foregoing reasons the LQMS defendant did not make a prima facie showing of

            entitlement to summary judgment dismissing the verified complaint and all cross claims asserted

            against them. Their motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint and all cross claim

            asserted against them is denied, regardless of the sufficiency of the plaintiff’s opposing papers

            (see Winegrad v. New York Univ. Med. Ctr., 64 N.Y.2d 851 [1985]).

            Fushimi Defendants CPLR 3212 Motion

                   The Fushimi defendant move for summary judgment based on the contention that the

            plaintiff’s accident did not happen on a sidewalk abutting their property. They also contended,

            like the LQMS defendants’, that they had no duty to warn the plaintiff of the open and obvious

            uneven condition of the sidewalk location where the plaintiff allegedly tripped and fell.

                   In support of the contention that the accident did not occur on a sidewalk abutting their

            property they annexed, among other things, the deposition testimony of the plaintiff, of Alex

            Zhao, the manager of City 9316, Inc d/b/a/ Fushimi and of Carmine Abruzzo, the general

            manager of LQMS. The Fushimi defendants referred to several instances in which the plaintiff’s

            testimony changed regarding his injury and the location of the accident. They also referred to

            video evidence, which they did not proffer, which allegedly depicted the accident in a manner

            inconsistent with the plaintiff’s version of how the accident occurred. The testimony of Abruzzo

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  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/22/2024 04:11 PM                                                    INDEX NO. 513626/2019
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 131                                                                      RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/22/2024

            and Zhao shed no light on the location of the subject accident. The alleged inconsistencies in

            plaintiff’s testimony involves a determination of credibility which is for the trier of fact. A

            motion for summary judgment should not be granted where the facts are in dispute, where

            conflicting inferences may be drawn from the evidence, or where there are issues of credibility

            (Schmitz v. Pinto, 220 A.D.3d 681 [2nd Dept 2023]).

                   The contention of the Fushimi defendants that they had no duty to warn the plaintiff of an

            open and obvious condition has already been addressed by the identical argument advanced by

            the LQMS defendants.

                   For the foregoing reasons the Fushimi defendant did not make a prima facie showing of

            entitlement to summary judgment dismissing the verified complaint and all cross claims asserted

            against them. Their motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint and all cross claim

            asserted against them is denied, regardless of the sufficiency of the plaintiff’s opposing papers

            (see Winegrad v. New York Univ. Med. Ctr., 64 N.Y.2d 851 [1985]).

                   On August 14, 2023, The City of New York (hereinafter NYC) filed a notice of motion

            under motion sequence five for an order pursuant to CPLR 3212 dismissing the complaint of

            plaintiff Steven Turnball and all cross claims asserted against it. On August 15, 2023, counsel

            for all parties executed and filed with the Kings County Clerk’s office a stipulation discontinuing

            with prejudice the complaint and all cross claims asserted against NYC.

            CONCLUSION

                   The motion by Life Quality Motor Sales, Inc. D/B/A BMW of Brooklyn and 9326 Fourth

            Avenue, LLC for an order pursuant to CPLR 3212 dismissing the complaint of plaintiff Steven

            Turnball and all cross claims asserted against it is denied.

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  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/22/2024 04:11 PM                                               INDEX NO. 513626/2019
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 131                                                                  RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/22/2024

                   The motion by Fushimi, Fourth Avenue Supercenter Corp., and City 9316, INC for an

            order pursuant to CPLR 3212 dismissing the complaint of plaintiff Steven Turnball and all cross

            claims asserted against it is denied.

                   The foregoing constitutes the decision and order of this Court.

            ENTER:                                  ______________________________________
                                                                    J.S.C.

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