Lee v. N.Y.C. Transit Auth.

• Decision Date: 21 April 2016
• Citation: 138 A.D.3d 579,28 N.Y.S.3d 607 (Mem)
• Parties: Daphne E. LEE, Plaintiff–Appellant, v. NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY, Defendant–Respondent. [And A Third–Party Action].
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

138 A.D.3d 579
28 N.Y.S.3d 607 (Mem)

Daphne E. LEE, Plaintiff–Appellant,
v.
NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY, Defendant–Respondent.

[And A Third–Party Action].

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, New York.

April 21, 2016.

Levine & Slavit, New York (Leonard S. Slavit of counsel), for appellant.

Lawrence Heisler, Brooklyn (Anna J. Ervolina of counsel), for respondent.

Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Michael D. Stallman, J.), entered October 30, 2014, dismissing the complaint, and bringing up for review an order, same court and Justice, entered June 25, 2014, which granted defendant's motion for summary judgment, unanimously reversed, on the law, without costs, the motion denied, and the complaint reinstated.

Plaintiff seeks damages for injuries she sustained when she slipped and fell on a banana peel as she was descending the stairway to a subway station. She alleges that the stairway was not properly maintained and was inadequately lit.

Defendant's failure to address the claim of inadequate lighting is fatal to its motion (see Amador v. City of New York, 96 A.D.3d 475, 946 N.Y.S.2d 151 [1st Dept.2012] ). Notwithstanding proof of defendant's lack of notice of the banana peel, the inadequate lighting condition could still be a proximate cause of plaintiff's accident (see Amador, 96 A.D.3d 475, 946 N.Y.S.2d 151 ; Santiago v. New York City Hous. Auth., 268 A.D.2d 203, 701 N.Y.S.2d 31 [1st Dept.2000] ). Further, defendant's accident reports indicating that the area was

28 N.Y.S.3d 608

dark and the testimonial evidence that the area was dark and had been dark since at least the day before the accident raise an issue of fact as to whether defendant had actual or constructive notice of the lighting condition (see Smith v. Costco Wholesale Corp., 50 A.D.3d 499, 856 N.Y.S.2d 573 [1st Dept.2008] ).

Notwithstanding defendant's contention that it neither controlled nor had legal responsibility for the stairway, since the stairway was primarily used by defendant's passengers as a means of approaching the subway, defendant owed a...