Opinion
09-29-2017
Danielle KELLER, Individually, and as Parent and Natural Guardian of Lexis Keller, Plaintiff–Appellant, v. Robert KELLER and Patricia Keller, Defendants–Respondents.
Dixon & Hamilton, LLP, Getzville (Michael B. Dixon of Counsel), for Plaintiff–Appellant. Fitzgerald & Roller, P.C., Buffalo (Derek J. Roller of Counsel), for Defendants–Respondents.
Dixon & Hamilton, LLP, Getzville (Michael B. Dixon of Counsel), for Plaintiff–Appellant.
Fitzgerald & Roller, P.C., Buffalo (Derek J. Roller of Counsel), for Defendants–Respondents.
PRESENT: WHALEN, P.J., PERADOTTO, LINDLEY, NEMOYER, AND CURRAN, JJ.
MEMORANDUM:
Plaintiff, individually and as parent and natural guardian of her daughter, commenced this negligence action seeking damages for injuries sustained by her daughter when she slipped and fell in defendants' bathroom. We conclude that Supreme Court properly granted defendants' motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.
Defendants met their initial burden of establishing their entitlement to judgment as a matter of law (see generally Zuckerman v. City of New York, 49 N.Y.2d 557, 562, 427 N.Y.S.2d 595, 404 N.E.2d 718 ). Defendants' submissions established that the daughter slipped on the bathroom floor when she stepped out of the shower to retrieve a brush while the water was running. The daughter stated during her deposition that, although the shower curtain had been closed and no water was falling outside the bathtub prior to the accident, as a result of her opening the curtain while the water was running, there was some water on the floor around the bathtub when she stepped out of the bathtub. Contrary to plaintiff's contention, " ‘a wet floor-especially in a bathroom where one can expect some water to make its way out of the shower to the floor-is not enough, standing alone, to establish negligence’ " ( Jackson v. State of New York, 51 A.D.3d 1251, 1253, 857 N.Y.S.2d 368 ; see
Barron v. Eastern Athletic, Inc., 150 A.D.3d 654, 655, 53 N.Y.S.3d 689 ; Noboa–Jaquez v. Town Sports Intl., LLC, 138 A.D.3d 493, 493, 28 N.Y.S.3d 306). Here, defendants established that the amount of water present on the floor "was a condition that was ‘necessarily incidental’ to the use of the shower[ ] ... and thus that it did not by itself constitute a dangerous condition" ( O'Neil v. Holiday Health & Fitness Ctrs. of N.Y., 5 A.D.3d 1009, 1009, 773 N.Y.S.2d 724 ; see Seaman v. State of New York, 45 A.D.3d 1126, 1127, 845 N.Y.S.2d 871 ; Todt v. Schroon Riv. Campsite, 281 A.D.2d 782, 783, 722 N.Y.S.2d 287 ). Defendants further established that the accident was not attributable to a defect in the floor or the bath towel that they provided to the daughter, which she placed on the floor beside the bathtub (see Kalish v. HEI Hospitality, LLC, 114 A.D.3d 444, 445, 980 N.Y.S.2d 80 ; Azzaro v. Super 8 Motels, Inc., 62 A.D.3d 525, 526, 880 N.Y.S.2d 14 ; Portanova v. Trump Taj Mahal Assoc., 270 A.D.2d 757, 758–759, 704 N.Y.S.2d 380, lv. denied 95 N.Y.2d 765, 716 N.Y.S.2d 39, 739 N.E.2d 295 ). Furthermore, even assuming, arguendo, that a dangerous condition existed, we conclude that defendants met their burden by establishing that they neither created the dangerous condition nor had actual or constructive notice thereof (see Barron, 150 A.D.3d at 655–656, 53 N.Y.S.3d 689 ; cf. O'Neil , 5 A.D.3d at 1010, 773 N.Y.S.2d 724 ).
Plaintiff failed to raise a triable issue of fact in opposition to the motion (see generally Zuckerman, 49 N.Y.2d at 562, 427 N.Y.S.2d 595, 404 N.E.2d 718 ). Plaintiff did not submit any evidence that there was a defect in either the bathroom floor or the towel that defendants provided to the daughter (see Azzaro, 62 A.D.3d at 526, 880 N.Y.S.2d 14 ; Portanova, 270 A.D.2d at 759, 704 N.Y.S.2d 380 ). Contrary to plaintiff's contention, we conclude that she failed to identify any common law, statutory or other applicable standard imposing upon defendants a duty to supply a nonskid bath mat in the area adjacent to the bathtub (see Azzaro, 62 A.D.3d at 526, 880 N.Y.S.2d 14 ; see also Kalish, 114 A.D.3d at 445–446, 980 N.Y.S.2d 80 ; Portanova, 270 A.D.2d at 758, 704 N.Y.S.2d 380 ; see generally
Noboa–Jaquez, 138 A.D.3d at 493, 28 N.Y.S.3d 306). Moreover, plaintiff presented no evidence that defendants created a dangerous condition in the bathroom or that they were aware of such a condition (see generally Noboa–Jaquez, 138 A.D.3d at 493, 28 N.Y.S.3d 306; Savage v. Anderson's Frozen Custard, Inc., 100 A.D.3d 1563, 1564–1565, 954 N.Y.S.2d 717 ).
It is hereby ORDERED that the order so appealed from is unanimously affirmed without costs.