State of New York v. Shaw Contract Flooring Services, Inc.

• Citation: 853 N.Y.S.2d 694,49 A.D.3d 1078,2008 NY Slip Op 02542
• Decision Date: 20 March 2008
• Docket Number: 503460.
• Parties: STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. SHAW CONTRACT FLOORING SERVICES, INC., Defendant, and ROCHESTER LINOLEUM AND CARPET CENTER, INC., Appellant.
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

49 A.D.3d 1078

853 N.Y.S.2d 694

2008 NY Slip Op 02542

STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent, v. SHAW CONTRACT FLOORING SERVICES, INC., Defendant, and ROCHESTER LINOLEUM AND CARPET CENTER, INC., Appellant.

503460.

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Third Department.

Decided March 20, 2008.

Appeal from an order of the Supreme Court (Teresi, J.), entered November 30, 2006 in Albany County, which, among other things, partially denied the motion of defendant Rochester Linoleum and Carpet Center, Inc. to dismiss the complaint against it.

Carpinello, J.

During the course of a renovation project at the State University of New York at Alfred, asbestos was released into a dormitory as the result of abrasion of tiles during flooring work. It is undisputed that this work was performed by a subcontractor of defendant Rochester Linoleum and Carpet Center, Inc. After remediation, plaintiff commenced this action alleging, as relevant on appeal, negligence and public nuisance against Rochester. Rochester's unsuccessful motion to dismiss these two causes of action for failure to state a cognizable claim has prompted this appeal.

With respect to the negligence cause of action, the amended complaint alleges that Rochester undertook the flooring work for the subject renovation project from another entity, that Rochester had been advised that the existing flooring contained asbestos and that, as a result, the work was inherently dangerous and that Rochester and its agents and/or representatives thereafter performed the work in such a manner that asbestos was released into the air (see Rosenberg v Equitable Life Assur. Socy. of U.S., 79 NY2d 663, 670 [1992]). With respect to the public nuisance cause of action, the amended complaint alleges that Rochester's conduct disregarded the rights of all dormitory residents, as well as other persons visiting or otherwise occupying it. Upon affording the amended complaint liberal construction, deeming all allegations against Rochester to be true and according plaintiff "the benefit of every possible favorable inference" (Leon v Martinez, 84 NY2d 83, 87 [1994]; see e.g. Rovello v Orofino Realty Co., 40 NY2d 633, 634-635 [1976]), we are satisfied that plaintiff stated legally cognizable causes of action sounding in both negligence and public nuisance. We further note that, "[i]n assessing a motion under CPLR 3211 (a) (7), ... a court may freely consider affidavits submitted by the plaintiff to remedy any...