Court Opinion

ID: 9962514
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-23 20:09:37.428271+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:18:59.731351
License: Public Domain

Matter of Derr v United Nations Dev. Corp.
               2024 NY Slip Op 31368(U)
                     April 19, 2024
           Supreme Court, New York County
        Docket Number: Index No. 160318/2023
                  Judge: John J. Kelley
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                                                                                                                     INDEX NO. 160318/2023
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23                                                                                           RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/19/2024

                                   SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
                                             NEW YORK COUNTY
            PRESENT:             HON. JOHN J. KELLEY                                             PART                              56M
                                                                                      Justice
            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X   INDEX NO.          160318/2023
             In the Matter of
                                                                                                 MOTION DATE         04/19/2024
             RICHARD DERR,
                                                                                                 MOTION SEQ. NO.         001
                                                         Petitioner,

                                                 -v-
                                                                                                   DECISION, ORDER, AND
             UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT CORP. and C&W
             FACILITY SERVICES, INC.,                                                                   JUDGMENT

                                                         Respondents.
            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------X

            The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 001) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
            9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 27, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
            were read on this motion to/for                                                 PREACTION DISCLOSURE                   .

                      In this proceeding pursuant to CPLR 3102(c), the petitioner seeks pre-action disclosure

            from the respondents, compelling them to disclose documents and records concerning

            inspections, complaints, maintenance records, invoices, permits, repair records, and violations

            with respect to the freight elevator located at 1 United Nations Plaza, New York, New York

            10017 for a period of 10 years prior to May 20, 2021, elevator maintenance contracts pertaining

            to that elevator that were in effect on May 20, 2021, video footage of the petitioner’s May 20,

            2021 accident on that elevator, and incident reports, photographs, investigation documents,

            witness statements, and memoranda pertaining to that accident. He also seeks documents

            referable to New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) Permit No. M00318786-Il-EL. The

            respondents separately answer the petition. The petition is granted to the extent that the

            respondent C&W Facility Services, Inc. (C&W), is directed to provide the petitioners with any

            documents, records, and videos in its possession that are responsive to the petitioner’s

            demands, other than those referable to the DOB permit. The petition is denied as academic as

            to the respondent United Nations Development Corp. (UNDC) with respect to all of the
             160318/2023 DERR, RICHARD vs. UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT CORP. ET AL                                    Page 1 of 5
             Motion No. 001

                                                                           1 of 5
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                                                                                                 INDEX NO. 160318/2023
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23                                                                      RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/19/2024

            documents sought other than those referable to the DOB permit, and denied on the merits as to

            both respondents with respect to the documents referable to the permit.

                   In the October 27, 2023 order to show initiating this proceeding, the petitioner had

            sought pre-action disclosure with respect to a freight elevator located at 2 United Nations Plaza

            in Manhattan. In his petition, the petitioner claimed that he had been involved in an accident in

            that elevator on May 20, 2021, and that he needed those documents and videos in order to

            frame a complaint sounding in negligence. The respondents informed the petitioner that, in fact,

            the subject accident occurred at 1 United Nations Plaza. Consequently, this court issued an

            amended order to show cause, dated March 29, 2024, that corrected the location of the elevator

            as to which the petitioner was seeking documents and videos. After service of the amended

            order to show cause upon the respondents, the respondent United Nations Development Corp.

            (UNDC) agreed to provide the petitioner, in a shared file computer format, all of the documents

            and videos responsive to his demand, other than those referable to the permit. Both UNDC and

            C&W, however, opposed the branch of the petition seeking documents referable to the DOB

            permit, as that permit pertained only to the elevator at 2 United Nations Plaza, which was

            irrelevant to the petitioner’s potential tort claims. C&W did not otherwise oppose the petition.

                   CPLR 3102(c) authorizes a court to permit a party to conduct pre-action disclosure to aid

            in framing a complaint and in identifying prospective defendants (see Sims v Metropolitan

            Transp. Auth., 123 AD3d 496, 496 [1st Dept 2014]; Walker v Sandberg & Sikorski Corp.

            Firestone, Inc., 102 AD3d 415, 415 [1st Dept 2013]; Matter of Champion v Metropolitan Tr.

            Auth., 70 AD3d 587, 588 [1st Dept 2010]). A petitioner seeking leave to conduct pre-action

            disclosure must demonstrate that he or she has a potentially viable cause of action against

            some person or entity, and that the disclosure sought is material and necessary to the proof of

            an actionable wrong (see Matter of Woodbridge Structured Funding, LLC v Pissed Consumer,

            125 AD3d 508, 508 [1st Dept 2015]; Matter of Peters v Sotheby’s Inc. 34 AD3d 29, 34 [1st Dept

            2006]; Liberty Imports v Bourguet, 146 AD2d 535, 536 [1st Dept 1989]). The resort to pre-
             160318/2023 DERR, RICHARD vs. UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT CORP. ET AL                 Page 2 of 5
             Motion No. 001

                                                          2 of 5
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                                                                                                   INDEX NO. 160318/2023
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23                                                                       RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/19/2024

            action disclosure, however, “is not permissible as a fishing expedition to ascertain whether a

            cause of action exists” in the first instance (id. at 536).

                    The court concludes that the petitioner has established his entitlement to pre-action

            disclosure of documents and records concerning inspections, complaints, maintenance records,

            invoices, permits, repair records, and violations, with respect to the freight elevator located at 1

            United Nations Plaza, New York, New York 10017 for a period of 10 years prior to May 20,

            2021, elevator maintenance contracts pertaining to that elevator that were in effect on May 20,

            2021, video footage of the petitioner’s May 20, 2021 accident on that elevator, and incident

            reports, photographs, investigation documents, witness statements, and memoranda pertaining

            to that accident, as he has established that they are necessary to enable him to frame a

            complaint sounding in negligence. The court notes, moreover, that UNDC already has agreed

            to provide, or already has provided, documents and videos in its possession that are responsive

            to those demands. Hence, the branch of the petition seeking those documents and videos must

            be denied as academic as to UNDC. Since C&W has not yet provided responsive documents

            or videos in its possession, or provided a Jackson affidavit (Jackson v City of New York, 185

            AD2d 768 [1st Dept 1992]) attesting that it does not possess such documents or videos, or

            describing the particulars of the search that it undertook to locate those documents and videos,

            and that the search revealed that the documents and videos no longer existed or couldn’t be

            located, the petition must be granted against C&W as to those documents and videos.

                    The court agrees with the respondents that the petitioner has not established the need

            for disclosure of records pertaining to the DOB permit that he identified in his petition, as they

            are irrelevant to his ability to frame a complaint alleging negligence in the maintenance and

            operation of the elevator in which he claims to have sustained an accident.

                    Accordingly, it is,

                    ADJUDGED that the petition is granted insofar as asserted against the respondent C&W

            Facility Services, Inc., to the extent that the petitioner seeks pre-action disclosure of documents
             160318/2023 DERR, RICHARD vs. UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT CORP. ET AL                  Page 3 of 5
             Motion No. 001

                                                            3 of 5
[* 3]
                                                                                                   INDEX NO. 160318/2023
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23                                                                        RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/19/2024

            and records concerning inspections, complaints, maintenance records, invoices, permits, repair

            records, and violations, with respect to the freight elevator located at 1 United Nations Plaza,

            New York, New York 10017 for a period of 10 years prior to May 20, 2021, elevator

            maintenance contracts pertaining to that elevator that were in effect on May 20, 2021, video

            footage of the petitioner’s May 20, 2021 accident on that elevator, and incident reports,

            photographs, investigation documents, witness statements, and memoranda pertaining to that

            accident, and the petition is otherwise denied and the proceeding is otherwise dismissed insofar

            as asserted against C&W Facility Services, Inc.; and it is further,

                   ADJUDGED that the petition is denied and the proceeding is dismissed insofar as

            asserted against the respondent United Nations Development Corp.; and it is further,

                   ORDERED that, on or before May 10, 2024, C&W Facility Services, Inc., shall provide

            the petitioner with documents and records concerning inspections, complaints, maintenance

            records, invoices, permits, repair records, and violations, with respect to the freight elevator

            located at 1 United Nations Plaza, New York, New York 10017 for a period of 10 years prior to

            May 20, 2021, elevator maintenance contracts pertaining to that elevator that were in effect on

            May 20, 2021, video footage of the petitioner’s May 20, 2021 accident on that elevator, and

            incident reports, photographs, investigation documents, witness statements, and memoranda

            pertaining to that accident, or an appropriate Jackson affidavit; and it is further,

                   ORDERED that, to the extent that United Nations Development Corp. has yet to provide

            the petitioner with shared-file computer access to the agreed-upon documents and records

            concerning inspections, complaints, maintenance records, invoices, permits, repair records, and

            violations, with respect to the freight elevator located at 1 United Nations Plaza, New York, New

            York 10017 for a period of 10 years prior to May 20, 2021, elevator maintenance contracts

            pertaining to that elevator that were in effect on May 20, 2021, video footage of the petitioner’s

            May 20, 2021 accident on that elevator, and incident reports, photographs, investigation

             160318/2023 DERR, RICHARD vs. UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT CORP. ET AL                  Page 4 of 5
             Motion No. 001

                                                           4 of 5
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  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 23                                                                            RECEIVED NYSCEF: 04/19/2024

            documents, witness statements, and memoranda pertaining to that accident, it shall do so no

            later than May 10, 2024.

                    This constitutes the Decision, Order, and Judgment of the court.

                    4/19/2024                                                               $SIG$
                      DATE                                                          JOHN J. KELLEY, J.S.C.

             CHECK ONE:                X   CASE DISPOSED                    NON-FINAL DISPOSITION

                                                                                                     □
                                           GRANTED             DENIED   X   GRANTED IN PART              OTHER

             APPLICATION:                  SETTLE ORDER                     SUBMIT ORDER

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

             160318/2023 DERR, RICHARD vs. UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT CORP. ET AL                     Page 5 of 5
             Motion No. 001

                                                             5 of 5
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