Court Opinion

ID: 9945543
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-27 21:10:28.302115+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:25:31.869314
License: Public Domain

Baez v NYC Hous. Dev. Corp.
               2024 NY Slip Op 30548(U)
                    February 21, 2024
           Supreme Court, New York County
        Docket Number: Index No. 154078/2018
                  Judge: Hasa A. Kingo
Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip
 Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York
 State and local government sources, including the New
  York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service.
 This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official
                       publication.
 [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/21/2024 04:57 P~                                                                       INDEX NO. 154078/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 91                                                                                               RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/21/2024

                                   SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
                                             NEW YORK COUNTY
            PRESENT:                             HON. HASA A. KINGO                                  PART                             05M
                                                            Justice
            ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------X      INDEX NO.          154078/2018
             NANCY BAEZ,
                                                                                                     MOTION DATE         06/05/2023
                                                         Plaintiff,
                                                                                                     MOTION SEQ. NO.         003
                                                 - V -

             NYC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION,
             FRANKLIN PLAZA APARTMENTS INC.,PRESTIGE                                                   DECISION + ORDER ON
             MANAGEMENT INC.,CHASE BANK, CITY OF NEW YORK,                                                   MOTION

                                                         Defendant.
            ------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------X

            The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 003) 60, 61, 62, 63, 64,
            65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87
            were read on this motion to/for                                                       JUDGMENT-SUMMARY

                    With the instant motion, defendant JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A ("defendant") moves,
            pursuant to CPLR § 3212, for an order dismissing plaintiff Nancy Baez ("plaintiff') complaint as
            against it. Plaintiff opposes the application.

                                                    BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENTS

                    This is a negligence action arising out of an alleged trip-and-fall accident that occurred on
            August 11, 2017, on the sidewalk adjacent to a Chase Bank branch at 2065 Second Avenue in
            Manhattan (the subject premises). The subject premises were owned by Franklin Plaza
            Apartments, Inc. ("the Landlord"). Defendant was a commercial tenant of the subject premises
            and, as such, submits that it owed no duty to plaintiff regarding the maintenance of the sidewalk
            upon which the tree well was located. This is because defendant submits that it was not the property
            owner and did not create or cause the alleged dangerous condition or make special use of the
            sidewalk.

                    In further support of the instant motion, defendant argues that as a commercial tenant of
            the subject premises, it owed no duty to plaintiff with respect to maintenance of the sidewalk upon
            which plaintiff fell because it was not the property owner and it did not create or cause the alleged
            dangerous condition or make special use of the sidewalk. Indeed, defendant submits that the
            Landlord had a nondelegable duty pursuant to Administrative Code of the City of New York § 7-
            210 to maintain and repair the sidewalk adjacent to the subject premises upon which plaintiff
            allegedly fell, and the City of New York was responsible for maintenance and repair of the tree
            well where plaintiff allegedly fell.

             154078/2018 BAEZ, NANCY vs. NYC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT                                                         Page 1 of4
             Motion No. 003

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 [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/21/2024 04:57 P~                                                  INDEX NO. 154078/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 91                                                                        RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/21/2024

                    Defendant annexes the affidavit of Christopher Gutgesell ("Gutgesell") in support of its
            motion. In his affidavit, Gutgesell states that: 1.) he is the "Executive Director of Casualty
            Insurance Claims at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. in the Corporate Insurance Services
            Department"; 2.) in his position, he has "access to records maintained by defendant in the ordinary
            course of its business operations"; and 3.) he has "knowledge of the facts contained in this affidavit,
            and makes the statements set forth in this affidavit, upon information and belief, based on a review
            of the records maintained by [defendant] in its ordinary course of business." Gutgesell goes on to
            submit that defendant did not perform any work or repairs to the sidewalk or tree well area where
            plaintiff allegedly fell ("[p ]rior to and including the date of the subject accident, [defendant] did
            not perform any work or repairs to the sidewalk or tree well area where plaintiff allegedly fell").

                    Based on its submission, defendant argues that it has made a prima facie showing that it
            did not owe plaintiff a duty to maintain or repair the area where she allegedly fell, and that it is
            therefore entitled to summary judgment dismissing the complaint as against it.

                    In response, plaintiff contends that defendant has not presented any credible evidence to
            contradict plaintiffs claims of "cause and create" or "special use." Specifically, plaintiff challenges
            Gutgesell's affidavit as inadmissible evidence from an individual without firsthand knowledge
            who can affirm that defendant did not undertake any work on the tree well or sidewalk at the
            location of the accident.

                    In refuting the assertion that defendant conducted any work on the sidewalk or tree well,
            plaintiff submits that defendant could have easily obtained an affidavit from someone associated
            with the local bank branch who might possess knowledge of day-to-day operations. Instead of
            pursuing this avenue, plaintiff takes umbrage with defendant's choice to rely exclusively on the
            affidavit of its nationwide Executive Director of Casualty Insurance Claims, Gutgesell.

                    Plaintiff further submits that Gutgesell does not specify whether he reviewed maintenance
            or construction documents, or ifhe confirmed their absence, and if so, how. Additionally, plaintiff
            states that there is no explanation as to whether Gutgesell consulted with New York-based
            employees at the relevant bank branch to reach his self-serving conclusion. Consequently, plaintiff
            submits that Gutgesell's assertion that defendant performed no work at the specified location either
            lacks a foundation in personal knowledge or, if based on personal knowledge, derives from hearsay
            not presented to the court.

                    Secondly, plaintiff emphasizes that defendant's written lease includes conflicting
            provisions concerning sidewalk maintenance duties. While defendant selectively cites the self-
            serving provisions in its motion, plaintiff contends that it overlooks those that are unhelpful. A
            thorough examination of the lease raises a genuine factual question about whether defendant was
            indeed obligated to perform "structural repairs" on the sidewalk.

                    Thirdly, even if defendant's sidewalk obligations were limited to minor "non-structural
            repairs," plaintiff submits that the nature of the defect responsible for plaintiffs accident seems to
            align with that description-a "non-structural" defect that is more than trivial but falls short of
            being considered major. Given that the lease strongly indicates a contractual duty on the part of
            defendant, the critical issue becomes whether defendant has convincingly demonstrated that its

             154078/2018 BAEZ, NANCY vs. NYC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT                                    Page 2 of 4
             Motion No. 003

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 [FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/21/2024 04:57 P~                                                   INDEX NO. 154078/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 91                                                                         RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/21/2024

            active role in maintenance did not replace the owner's sidewalk maintenance role (see Espinal v
            Melville Snow Contrs., 98 NY2d 136, 140 [2002]; Abramson v Eden Farm, Inc., 70 AD3d 514 [1st
            Dept 2010]). On this point, plaintiff argues that defendant has provided no evidence. Therefore,
            plaintiff submits that granting defendant summary judgment on the grounds that it lacked any
            "duty" as a matter of law would be erroneous. In plaintiffs view, any reasonable interpretation of
            the lease raises jury questions regarding the scope of this contractual duty and, consequently,
            whether defendant breached its duty by not addressing the specific defect that caused injury to
            plaintiff.

                    Fourth and finally, despite Gutgesell asserting that no work was ever done at the subject
            location, plaintiff states that a series of Google Earth Streetview images tell a different story. These
            images, which plaintiff proffers pursuant to CPLR § 4532-b, reveal significant fa<;ade work being
            done on defendant's building and the sidewalk where plaintiff eventually fell. Since no depositions
            have been conducted, plaintiff submits that it is unclear what role defendant played, as a flagship
            tenant, in planning, procuring, supervising, or even performing this extensive work. Plaintiff
            submits that the Google images depicting street work highlight that Gutgesell's affidavit is
            unreliable at best, and therefore, that the motion should be denied as premature.

                                                       DISCUSSION

                    To grant summary judgment, it must clearly appear that no material triable issue of fact is
            presented (see Alvarez v. Prospect Hosp., 68 NY2d 320 [1986]). The burden on the court in
            deciding this type of motion is not to resolve issues of fact or determine matters of credibility, but
            merely to determine whether such issues exist (see Barr v. Albany County, 50 NY2d 247 [1980];
            Miller v. Journal-News, 211 AD2d 626 [2d Dept 1995]). It is the existence of an issue, not its
            relative strength, that is the critical and controlling for the court's consideration when making its
            determination (see Barrett v Jacobs, 255 NY520 [1931]).

                    Administrative Code § 7-210 provides, as relevant here, that:

                    the owner of real property abutting any sidewalk ... shall be liable for any
                    injury to property or personal injury, including death, proximately caused
                    by the failure of such owner to maintain such sidewalk in a reasonably
                    safe condition. Failure to maintain such sidewalk in a reasonably safe
                    condition shall include, but not be limited to, the negligent failure to
                    install, construct, reconstruct, repave, repair or replace defective
                    sidewalk flags ... ( N.Y.C Admin. Code§ 7-210[b]).

                   In accordance with the foregoing, owners of otherwise exempt property under
            Administrative Code § 7-210 remain liable for injuries caused by defective sidewalks if they
            caused or created a dangerous condition thereon or derived a special use from the public sidewalk
            (Meyer v City of New York, 114 AD3d 734, 734-735 [2d Dept 2014] [court granted motion by
            defendants for summary judgment on grounds that the property was exempt under § 7-210 and
            because they established that they neither created the condition alleged to have caused plaintiffs
            accident nor did they derive a special use from the public sidewalk]).

             154078/2018 BAEZ, NANCY vs. NYC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT                                     Page 3 of 4
             Motion No. 003

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 !FILED: NEW YORK COUNTY CLERK 02/21/2024 04: 57 PM!                                                 INDEX NO. 154078/2018
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 91                                                                           RECEIVED NYSCEF: 02/21/2024

                    "The doctrine of special use imposes an obligation on the abutting landowner or occupier
            to maintain a public sidewalk in a reasonably safe condition to avoid injury to others, where it puts
            part of the sidewalk to a special use for its own benefit and that part of the sidewalk is subject to
            its control" (Beda v City ofNew York, 4 AD3d 317 [2d Dept 2004 ]). In Beda, the court found that
            the tenant's use of a metal ventilation plate on the sidewalk in front of its store was a special use
            by the tenant but not by the landlord, since the tenant was in exclusive possession and control of
            the area of the sidewalk which contained the metal plate and the lessor did not benefit from the
            metal plate (see id.). As in any case premised on the negligent maintenance of real property, it is
            well settled that a prerequisite for the imposition of liability for a dangerous condition within, or,
            on real property, is a defendant's occupancy, ownership, control or special use of the premises
            (Balsam v Delma Engineering Corporation, 139 AD2d 292, 296-297 [1st Dept 1998]; Hilliard v
            Roe-Newark Assoc., 287 AD2d 691, 693 [2d Dept 2001]). Absent evidence of ownership,
            occupancy, control, or special use, liability cannot be imposed (Balsam, 139 AD2d at 297, supra).

                    A motion for summary judgment is premature, when the issues raised therein require
            further discovery, which have not yet been completed, and particularly when depositions as well
            as physical examinations of plaintiff remain outstanding (see Mason v City ofNew York, 121 AD3d
            468 [1st Dept 2014]; see also Blech v West ParkPresbyt. Church, 97 AD3d 443 [1st Dept 2012].

                    Here, while defendant has submitted an affidavit and contends that it owed no duty to
            plaintiff with respect to maintenance of the sidewalk upon which the tree well was located because
            it was not the property owner and it did not create or cause the alleged dangerous condition or
            make special use of the sidewalk, defendant's assertions are premature at this stage of the litigation.
            Plaintiff correctly highlights that full discovery has not been exchanged that may well bear on the
            issues of whether defendant maintained the sidewalk at issue, and whether defendant assumed
            control of the premises such that defendant either caused or created the defect, or put the area to
            special use. Moreover, further discovery may yield additional information bearing on the precise
            location of the accident thereby rendering the instant motion premature. Indeed, since the filing of
            this motion, at least three (3) discovery orders have been issued by this court. The discovery
            yielded from those orders is likely to provide relevant information bearing on the issues presented
            by defendant's motion.

                   Thus, it appearing from plaintiffs opposition papers that facts essential to its opposition
            may exist due to the numerous items of discovery still outstanding, defendant's application for
            summary judgment must be denied at this time, as premature (see CPLR § 3212; see also Espinoza
            v Fowler-Daley Owners, Inc., 171 AD3d 480 [1st Dept 2019]). Accordingly, it is

                    ORDERED, that defendant's summary judgment motion is denied as premature.

                   This constitutes the decision and order of the court.

                    2/21/2024
                      DATE
             CHECK ONE:              □ CASE DISPOSED                  0    NON-FINAL DISPOSITION

                                     □ GRANTED          0    DENIED   □ GRANTED IN PART             □ OTHER

             154078/2018 BAEZ, NANCY vs. NYC HOUSING DEVELOPMENT                                     Page4 of 4
             Motion No. 003

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