Court Opinion

ID: 9929188
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-01 21:08:22.9871+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:05:33.335703
License: Public Domain

Merritt v Plumbing NYC, Inc.
               2024 NY Slip Op 30321(U)
                    January 25, 2024
             Supreme Court, Kings County
        Docket Number: Index No. 518582/2022
                 Judge: Robin K. Sheares
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: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/29/2024 01:22 PM                                                                 INDEX NO. 518582/2022
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 85                                                                                      RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/29/2024

           SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
           COUNTY OF KINGS
           ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------X
           MASSIAH MERRITT,

                                                    Plaintiff:                                    DECISION & ORDER

                             -against-                                                            Index No.: 5185 82/2022

           PLUMBING NYC, INC. d/b/a PLUMBING WORKS INC.,                                          Motion Sequence No. 4
         ~ DIVINE INDUSTRIES INC., TRISTATE PLUMBING &
           HEATING, INC., RRP PLUMBING CORP., THE
           BROOKLYN UNION GAS COMPANY d/b/a NATIONAL
           GRID NY and THE HALLEN CONSTRUCTION CO. INC.,

                                                    Defendants.
           ----------------------------------------------------------------------X

           Recitation, as required by CPLR §2219(a), of the papers considered in the review of this Motion:

                         Papers                                                     NYSECF Document No.

                         Sequence 1Vo. 4

                         Notice of Motion and Atlidavits/Affirmations and Annexed   59,60,67,68
                         Exhibits                                                   61-66

                         Affirrnation/Aflidavit of Service                          69

                         Affidavit/Affirmation in Opposition to Motion              70

                         Affidavit/Affirmation in Opposition to Motion              78

           SHEARES, R.

                   Plaintiff commenced this action to recover damages for personal injuries he allegedly

           sustained on June 29, 2019, on Classon Avenue between Lafayette Avenue and Clifton Place,

           Brooklyn, New York.

                   It has. been alleged that on the date in question, Plaintiff was riding a scooter within the

           roadway of Classon Avenue between Lafayette A venue and Clifton Place when his scooter struck

           an uneven street surface that caused him to fall and sustain injuries. Plaintiff brought the present

           action alleging that one or more of the named defendants caused or created the uneven street

                                                                           1

                                                                         1 of 4
[* 1]
  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/29/2024 01:22 PM                                                   INDEX NO. 518582/2022
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 85                                                                      RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/29/2024

          surface, and/or had a duty to warn the plaintiff of the purported street defect and protect them from

          that defect.

                  On September 28, 2023, Defendant BROOKLYN UNION GAS COMPANY d/b/a

          NATIONAL GRID NY ("National Grid") filed a motion for summary judgment seeking the

          dismissal of all claims and crossclaims against them as a matter of law (Motion Sequence No. 4,

          NYSCEF DOC. NO. 59, et seq). For the reasons set forth below, the motion is hereby granted in

          its entirety.

                  Defendant THE HALLEN CONSTRUCTION CO. INC. ("Hallen") is a contractor that

          performs work for National Grid. On May 12, 2023, Hallen filed a motion for summary judgment

          in this matter (Motion Sequence No. 1, NYSCEF DOC. N0.15 et seq): Hallen's motion was

          supported by the affidavit of their Coordinator of Claims and Benefits, Ashley Ruiz iliYSCEF

          DOC. NO. 21) and by copies ofHallen's records. In her affidavit, Ms. Ruiz noted that a review of.

          their records showed that Hallen had performed work on the sidewalk of Classon St., which work

          had been requested by and performed on the behalf of National Grid, but not in the roadway. As

          Plaintiff alleges that his accident took place in the roadway rather than on the sidewalk, Hallen

          asserted that they did not cause, create, or contribute to the condition in the roadway that is claimed

          to have caused the plaintiffs accident.

                  On July 6, 2023, this court issued an order granting Hallen's motion and dismissing all

          claims and crossclaims against them, finding explicitly that:

                  HALLEN has established a prima facie case of entitlement to the dismissal of all
                  claims and cross claims against them in this action, in that they performed no work
                  in the area alleged by the plaintiff to be the site of the subject accident, whether on
                  behalf of THE BROOKLYN UNION GAS COMP ANY and/or in any other
                  capacity [and] that there is no triable issue of fact as to whether it was performing
                  any such work in the subject area, and no evidence has been proffered to refute
                  defendant's contention.

                                                            2

                                                          2 of 4
[* 2]
  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/29/2024 01:22 PM                                                  INDEX NO. 518582/2022
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 85                                                                   RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/29/2024

           {NYSCEF DOC. NO. 30). The order was served with notice of entry by Hallen on all parties on

           July 11, 2023 (NYSCEF DOC. NO. 31).

                  The motion for summary judgment filed by National Grid is supported by, among other
                                                                .            '               .
           things, the affidavit of their records searcher, Walter Stone, supported by records maintained by

           National Grid iliYSCEF DOC. NO. 65). Mr. Stone conducted a search of National Grid's records

           for any and all work performed on or in the vicinity of Classon Avenue between Lafayette A venue

           and Clifton Place for the two years up to and including June 29, 2019. Based on that search Mr.

           Stone concluded that:

              1. No work was performed by National Grid employees on or in the vicinity of
                 Classon Avenµe between Lafayette Avenue and Clifton Place for the two years up
                 to and including June 29, 2019. All such work was instead performed by contractor
                 Hallen, retained by National Grid for that purpose.

              2. As indicated in the affidavit of Hallen employee Ashley Ruiz, all work done on
                 behalf of National Grid on Classon Avenue between Lafayette Avenue and Clifton
                 Place for the two years up to and including June 29, 2019, was performed in the
                 street; no work was done by or on behalf of Natioal Grid in the roadway in that
                 area.

                  No evidence has been presented by any party to contradict any of the above factual

          assertions.

                  Mr. Stone's affidavit and the records on which that affidavit was based establish that Hallen

          was the only entity to perform any work on behalf of National Grid on the block of.Classon Avenue

          where the plaintiffs accident is alleged to have occurred. As Hallen's work did not cause the

          plaintiffs accident, it has been established as a matter of law that no work performed by or on

          behalf of National Grid was a proximate cause of the injuries sustained by Mr. Merrjtt. See, e.g.,
                        1
          Ahrorgulova v. Mann; 144 A.D.3d 953, 955,.42 N.Y.S.3d 203, 205 (2d Dept, 2016); Matter of

          Chung Li, 1?5 A.D.3d 1105, 1106, 87 N.Y.S.3d 316, 318 (2d Dept, 2018); RPG Consulting, Inc.

          v. Zormati, 82 A.D.3d 739,740,917 N.Y.S.2d 897 (2d Dept., 2011); Martin v. City ofCohoes, 37

                                                           3

                                                        3 of 4
[* 3]
  FILED: KINGS COUNTY CLERK 01/29/2024 01:22 PM                                                     INDEX NO. 518582/2022
  NYSCEF DOC. NO. 85                                                                      RECEIVED NYSCEF: 01/29/2024

           N.Y.2d 162, 165,332 N.E.2d 867, 869 (1975). Thus, all claims ~nd crossclaims against National

           Grid must be and hereby are hereby dismissed as a matter oflaw.

                  If in the course of the litigation it is determined that at or about the time of the Plaintiffs

           accident, National Grid performed or caused to be performed excavation or paving work on the

           roadway of Classon Avenue between Lafayette Avenue and Clifton Place, in the location where

           the plaintiff alleges that their accident occurred, a party or parties may seek to renew Motion

           Sequence No. 4 pursuant to the provisions of CPLR §2221 (e). Should a motion to renew be made,

           a full and co'mplete copy of the motion papers must be served by mail or delivery on the office of

           Morris Duffy Alonso Faley & Pitcoff as counsel to National Grid simultaneously with its filing.

                          Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons, it is hereby:

                  ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that Defendant National Grid's motion for summary

           judgment to dismiss the complaint and all crossclaims against them is granted and all claims and

           crossclaim against them are hereby dismissed; and it is further

                  ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that Defendant National Grid shall serve a copy of this

           Decision & Order with Notice of Entry upon all parties within thirty days of the date of Entry.

                  The foregoing constitutes the Decision/Order of the Court.

           Dated: Brooklyn, New York
                  January 25, 2024
                                                                 ENTER:

                                                                 Hon. Robin K.    St,      J.S.C.

           Motion Se51. # 04
             MGV
             MD

                                                            4

                                                         4 of 4
[* 4]