From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Fishman v. Westminster House Owners, Inc.

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department
Dec 29, 2005
24 A.D.3d 394 (N.Y. App. Div. 2005)

Summary

holding that in a slip and fall case, a plaintiffs lack of knowledge regarding the cause of the slip and fall prima facie establishes defendants' entitlement to judgment as a matter of law

Summary of this case from Heavey v. Starbucks Coffee Co.

Opinion

7431.

December 29, 2005.

Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Marcy S. Friedman, J.), entered August 12, 2004, which granted defendants' motions for summary judgment dismissing the complaint, unanimously affirmed, without costs.

Before: Tom, J.P., Friedman, Nardelli and Sweeny, JJ., concur.


Although plaintiff's pleadings allege that he slipped and fell on a wet ramp leading to the parking garage, his deposition testimony that he does not recollect any slippery or wet conditions on the ramp as he walked down it to get his car, and that he simply does not know what caused him to slip and fall, prima facie establishes defendants' entitlement to judgment as a matter of law ( see Burnstein v. Mandalay Caterers, 306 AD2d 428). Plaintiff's testimony that an hour before the accident, he observed water being sprayed from a hose and wet tire tracks going down the ramp does not permit a reasonable inference that water was present when, and on the part of the ramp where, he fell ( see generally Schneider v. Kings Highway Hosp. Ctr., 67 NY2d 743, 744). On this record, a verdict in plaintiff's favor would rest on pure speculation ( compare Affenito v. PJC 90th St., 5 AD3d 243, with Kane v. Estia Greek Rest., 4 AD3d 189).


Summaries of

Fishman v. Westminster House Owners, Inc.

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department
Dec 29, 2005
24 A.D.3d 394 (N.Y. App. Div. 2005)

holding that in a slip and fall case, a plaintiffs lack of knowledge regarding the cause of the slip and fall prima facie establishes defendants' entitlement to judgment as a matter of law

Summary of this case from Heavey v. Starbucks Coffee Co.
Case details for

Fishman v. Westminster House Owners, Inc.

Case Details

Full title:JOEL FISHMAN et al., Appellants, v. WESTMINSTER HOUSE OWNERS, INC., et…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department

Date published: Dec 29, 2005

Citations

24 A.D.3d 394 (N.Y. App. Div. 2005)
806 N.Y.S.2d 550

Citing Cases

Zimmer v. Felix Industries

In Tower Ins. Co. of New York v M.B.G. Inc., 288 AD2d 69, the complaint was dismissed as being based on…

Smith v. City of New York

Plaintiff testified at her deposition that she had “no idea” how she tripped and fell and she could not…