Preview
FILED: WESTCHESTER COUNTY CLERK 08/19/2019 04:20 PM INDEX NO. 57710/2016
NYSCEF DOC. NO. 358 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 08/19/2019
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER
------------------------------------------------X
HANNAH BUCKSTINE,
Index No.: 57710/2016
Plaintiff,
-against-
JORDAN SCHOR, JORDAN'S OF NEW PALTZ LLC,
LCORE ENTREPRISE CORP., KEITH CARPENTIER,
WAYNE BRADFORD, AND
ROBERT GERMINARA (Deceased),
Defendants.
__________________.. ¬----------------------X
LCORE ENTREPRISE CORP.
Third-Party Plaintiff,
-against-
WAYNE BRADFORD,
Third-Party Defendant.
------------------X
PLAINTIFF'S OPPPOSITION TO DEFENDANT LCORE'S MOTION FOR
SUMMARY JUDGMENT
LAW OFFICE OF TODD J. KROUNER, P.C.
93 North Greeley Avenue
Chappaqua, New York 10514
(914) 238-5800
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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES.................................................................................i
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................1
PROCEDURAL HISTORY.................................................................................1
RESTATEMENT OF THE FACTS A: Ms. Buckstine Has Not Made A Complete Recovery...2
B: LCore Maintained Control of the Premises...............3
C: LCore Had Notice Of The Dangerous Condition.........3
ARGUMENT...................................................................................................3
POINT I: DEFENDANT LCORE CANNOT SATISFY THE RIGOROUS
STANDARD OF REVIEW FOR A MOTION FOR SUMMARY
JUDGMENT..................................................................................3
POINT II: LCORE HAD A DUTY TO MAINTAIN AND INSPECT THE PREMISES......5
POINT III: LCORE HAD ACTUAL NOTICE OF THE DANGEROUS CONDITION ON
ITS PROPERTY.............................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................9
.
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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Alnashmi v. Certified Analytical Groun. Inc., 89 A.D.3d 10 (2d Dept. 2011)........................6
Alvarez v. Prospect Hosp., 68 N.Y.2d 320 (1986)........................................................4
Barone v. Risi, 128 A.D.3d 874 (2d Dept. 2015).........................................................9
Daniels v. Judelson, 216 A.D.2d 623 (2d Dept. 1995)...................................................3
Downing v. Schreiber, 176 A.D.2d 781 (2d Dept. 1991)................................................3
Gronski v. County of Monroe, 18 N.Y.3d 374 (2011)................................................5, 6
Harris v. Seager, 93 A.D.3d 1308 (2012)..................................................................8
Hovey v. State, 261 A.D. 759 (3d Dept. 1941)............................................................9
Kellman v. 45 Tiemaññ Assoc., 87 N.Y.2d 871 (1995)..................................................8
Kvte v. Mid-Hudson Wendico, 121 A.D.3d 452 (2d Dept. 2015).......................................4
Nikolaidis v. La Terna Rest., 40 A.D.3d 827 (2d Dept. 2007)..........................................5
Pamoalone v. FBE Van Dam. LLC, 123 A.D.2d 988 (2014)............................................4
(4th
Parslow v. Leake, 117 A.D.3d 55 Dept. 2014).......................................................8
Rivera v. Nelson Realty, LLC, 7 N.Y.3d 530 (2006)....................................................6
Rodriguez v. Moya, 43 Misc. 3d 1208 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 2014)................................4, 6
Sheridan v. Very, Ltd., 2008 N.Y.Misc. LEXIS 9341 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Dec. 2, 2008)................9
Steed v. MVA Enters., LLC, 136 A.D.3d (2d Dept. 2016)..............................................7
Ugarriza v. Semieder, 46 N.Y.2d 471(1979)............................................................3, 4
Villarreal v. CJAM Associates. LLC, 125 A.D.3d 644 (2d Dept. 2015)...............................6
Zuckerman v. City of New York, 39 N.Y.2d 557 (1980)................................................4
..
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INTRODUCTION
("Plaintiff"
Plaintiff, Hannah Buckstine or "Ms. Buckstine"), submits this memorandum
("Defendant"
of law in opposition to defendant's, LCore Enterprise Corp. or "LCore"), motion
for summary judgment dismissing Plaintiff's complaint. Plaintiff incorporates by reference her
opposition to the accompanying motions for summary judgment of defendants Jordan Schor
("Mr. Schor"), Jordan's of New Paltz LLC ("Jordan's") (collectively, the "Schor Defendants"),
and Wayne Bradford ("Mr. Bradford").
PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Plaintiff commenced this action against defendants Mr. Schor, Jordan's and LCore, by
filing a Summons and Complaint on May 31, 2016. On August 1, 2016, an Amended Verified
Complaint was filed against the same defendants, and on December 20, 2016, a Second
Amended Verified Complaint was filed against these same defendants.
On October 13, 2017, Plaintiff filed a motion for leave to amend the Second Amended
Verified Complaint and to add three additional defendants, Defendant Carpentier, Wayne
Bradford ("Bradford"), and Robert Germinara (deceased). The motion for leave to amend the
complaint included proposed summons and the Third Amended Verified Complaint. The
Germinara estate was never served.
On December 14, 2017, this Court issued an Order granting Plaintiff s motion to amend
the Second Amended Verified Complaint. Plaintiff filed her Third Amended Verified
Complaint on December 20, 2017.
RESTATEMENT OF THE FACTS
LCore owned the premises located at 52 Main Street (the "Premises"). See July 19, 2019
Affirmation of Kimberly Hunt Lee ("Lee Aff."), Exhibit D, Deposition of Ben Lai, 57:23-25.
As of the time of the accident, LCore had consented to the assignment of itslease to defendant
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Wayne Bradford. See Lee Aff., ¶ 39, Exhibit P, pp. 25-27. Though, not clear, Mr. Bradford
appears to have been the sublessor to defendant Jordan's at the time of the accident. Id. at ¶ 40.
A. Ms. Buckstine Has Not Made A Complete Recovery
Ms. Buckstine seeks to recover damages for the traumatic brain injury ("TBI") that she
sustained on October 25, 2014, shortly after midnight, when she felldown a flight of stairs
leading to the basement in Jordan's. As a result of the fall,Ms. Buckstine sustained serious
personal injuries, including a fractured skull, which required, inter alia, craniectomy and in
excess of $500,000 in medical expenses. Due to intracranial pressure, she required the removal
of her skull flap (hemicraniectomy), which was implanted into her abdomen. Subsequently, Ms.
Buckstine was placed in an induced coma. Although Defendant alleges that Ms. Buckstine "has
recovery,"
made a complete Plaintiff's evidence is to the contrary. See Lee Aff., ¶ 3. Ms.
Buckstine's injuries include, without limitation, right, partial right frontal lobectomy,
ventriculostomy, multiple fractures including right transverse temporal bone fracture sparing
ossicles, left occipital fracture extending into condyle, post-traumatic amnesia, cognitive deficits,
and multiple contusions, neurological impairment; and neuropsychological impairment. See the
Defendants'
August 19, 2019 Affirmation of Todd J. Krouner in Opposition to the Schor Motion
for Summary Judgment ("Krouner Aff. in Opposition to Schor"), Exhibits H, I and N.
Ms. Buckstine continues to experience the effects of the accident. Due to her severe brain
injury, Ms. Buckstine suffers injury to her pituitary gland resulting in irregular menstrual cycle.
Ms. Buckstine's ongoing psychological and cognitive issues pose constant threats to her physical
wellbeing. She continues to experience symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath,
nausea, fainting spells, memory loss, disorientation, headaches, anxiety and inability to
concentrate, including difficulty remembering driving instructions, difficulty with multitasking
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and anosmia. See Krouner Aff. in Opposition to 20 - 21. In Ms. Buckstine
Schor, ¶¶ addition,
recently was involved in two motor vehicle accidents due to the consequences of her TBI. Id. at
¶ 22, Exhibit G, ¶ 6.
B. LCore Maintained Control Of The Premises
As the owner of LCore, Ben Lai inspected the Premises regularly. He testified that he
was there three five or six times in 2013 and 2014. Lee Aff., Exhibit D, Deposition of Ben Lai
22: 2- 23:16 -20:3- 25:16 -21.
9; 6;
Routinely, Mr. Lai took care of maintenance and repairs to the Premises. This included a
basement flood in 2009. Isi at 62:2 -63:10. Heating oil contracts were signed by LCore. Id. at
66:6-10. LCore took care of a broken pipe in 2007 and fire system issues in 2010. Id. at 68:16-
22. Other issues dealing with the New Paltz Building Department were routinely addressed by
LCore. I_stat 66:13.
C. LCore Had Notice Of the Dangerous Condition
Ben Lai admitted that when Jordon Schor hung a curtain in a feeble attempt to partition
the storage area of the Premises, he created a hazard due to darkness. Ben Lai observed: "It was
normal."
dark, darker than, you know, Id. at 55:18 -21; See also, Affidavit of Rudy Uhlitzsch, ¶
6, a copy of which is annexed to the Krouner Aff. in Opposition to Schor, as Exhibit F.
ARGUMENT
I. DEFENDANT LCORE CANNOT SATISFY THE RIGOROUS STANDARD
OF REVIEW FOR A MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT
"Summary judgment has been termed s drastic measure . .. since itdeprives a party of his
effects."
day in court and will normally have res judicata Ugarriza v. Semieder, 46 N.Y.2d 471,
474 (1979). "It is axiomatic that issue finding, rather than issue determination, is the standard
judgment."
for reviewing a motion for summary Daniels v. Judelson, 216 A.D.2d 623, 624 (2d
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Dept. 1995), citing Downing v. Schreiber, 176 A.D.2d 781 (2d Dept. 1991). "If the court
entertains any doubt as to the existence of a triable issue of fact,the motion for summary
judgment should be denied. Id. "The party making the motion for summary judgment must
make a prima facie showing of entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by offering sufficient
evidence to demonstrate the absence of any material issue of fact and he must do so by tendering
form."
evidentiary proof in admissible Id., citing Alvarez v. Prospect Hosp., 68 N.Y.2d 320
(1986); Zuckerman v. City of New York, 39 N.Y.2d 557 (1980). "Failure to make a prima facie
motion."
showing requires a denial of the Id. Here, where there exist multiple issues of fact,
LCore cannot satisfy its burden of proof. Accordingly, LCore's motion for summary judgment
should be denied.
Additionally, "Negligence cases by their very nature do not usually lend themselves to
summary judgment, since often, even if all parties are in agreement as to the underlying facts, the
determination."
very question of negligence is itselfa question for jury Ugarriza, 46 N.Y.2d at
474. Again, the parties in the present action are not in agreement as to the underlying facts.
Since summary judgment is disfavored in negligence actions and LCore has failed to
demonstrate that summary judgment is warranted.
Furthermore, "in a premises liability case, a defendant property owner, or a party in
possession or control of real property, who moves for summary judgment has the initial burden
of making a prima facie showing that itneither created the alleged defective condition nor had
existence."
actual or constructive notice of its Kyte v. Mid-Hudson Wendico, 121 A.D.3d 452
(2d Dept. 2015), citing "amsâlone v. FBE Van Dam, LLC, 123 A.D.2d 988 (2014). See also
Rodriguez v. Moya, 43 Misc. 3d 1208 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 2014) (defendant landlord's
testimony that he came into the premises "on several occasions to collect the rent and make
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inspections"
gave rise to a question of fact as to his course of conduct in the absence of a
conduct"
contract). A "course of in which an out-of-possession landlord engages may also
provide evidence of a duty with respect to a dangerous condition on the premises. Seee Gronski
v. County of Monroe, 18 N.Y.3d 374, 380-82 (2011) (reversing Appellate Division's dismissal
and holding summary judgment improper where defendant county claimed "out-of-possession
landlord"
status.
In the present case, Ben Lai, as the owner of LCore, testified that he saw the curtain that
Mr. Schor installed in the Premises. See Lee Aff., Exhibit D, Deposition of Ben Lai, 55:18 -21.
Additionally, Ben Lai testified that behind the curtain, "It was dark, darker than, you know,
normal."
Id. at 55:18-21. Thus, LCore had actual notice of the existence of a dangerous
condition. LCore cannot meet itsburden. In addition, a question of fact exists whether LCore
had constructive notice of the remaining hazards. See the August 19, 2019, Affirmation of Todd
J. Krouner in Opposition to LCore's Motion for Summary Judgment, ¶ 14. Therefore, LCore's
motion for summary judgment should be denied.
IL LCORE HAD A DUTY TO MAINTAIN AND INSPECT ITS OWN
PREMISES
LCore, as the owner of the Premises, had a duty to enter, inspect, maintain and/or repair
the dangerous conditions in and around the premises. LCore alleges that as an out-of-possession
premises."
landlord, itretained no "control over its See Lee Aff., ¶ 57. LCore cites Nikolaidis v.
La Terna Rest., 40 A.D.3d 827 (2d Dept. 2007), for the proposition that an out-of-possession
landlord is not liable "for injuries that occur on the property unless the owner has retained
repairs."
control over the premises or is contractually obligated to perform maintenance and S_ee
Lee Aff., ¶ 56.
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In this case, in fact, LCore retained control of the Premises. "Control refers to the ability
of an out-of-possession landlord to remedy dangerous conditions, and itpertains to conditions on
premises."
any portion of the leased Alnashmi v. Certified Analytical Group, Inc., 89 A.D.3d
10, 17 (2d Dept. 2011). "An out-of-possession landlord has a duty imposed by statute or
."
assumed by cei1tiâet or a course of conduct . .. Id. at 18, citing Rivera v. Nelson Realty, LLC,
7 N.Y.3d 530, 534 (2006) (emphasis added).
"control,"
A landlord may also maintain and therefore, a duty, ifthe duty is evinced by a
conduct."
landlord's "course of Villarreal v. CJAM Associates, LLC, 125 A.D.3d 644, 645 (2d
Dept. 2015); see also Rodriguez v. Moya, 43 Misc. 3d 1208 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 2014)
(defendant landlord's testimony that he came into the premises "on several occasions to collect
inspections"
the rent and make gave rise to a question of fact as to his course of conduct in the
conduct"
absence of a contract). A "course of in which an out-of-possession landlord engages
may also provide evidence of a duty with respect to a dangerous condition on the premises. See
Gronski v. County of Monroe, 18 N.Y.3d 374, 380-82 (reversing Appellate Division's dismissal
and holding summary judgment improper where defendant county claimed "out-of-possession
landlord"
status). LCore maintained a right to enter to inspect and to make repairs. S_ee July19,
2019 Affirmation of Frank R. Malpigli ("Malpigli Aff."), Exhibit FF, Lease, p.3 (Right to
Inspect). In fact, LCore, through Ben Lai, maintained significant control over the premises
through its course of conduct. Between 2013 and October 2014, Ben Lai inspected the premises
five or six times. See Lee Aff., Exhibit D, Deposition of Ben Lai, 22:2-9. "I go there to inspect
my retail space, to make sure that itis clean. And itis well-run. And just to make sure that my
there."
four walls, the building is still Id. at 23:16-20. "I go there to just make sure, you know,
go."
safety is in place. You know, I go there whenever I get a chance or I need to Id. at 23:3-6.
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"I just go there and say: Hey, you've got too much stuff put in there . . .
. Make sure the place is
dumpster."
clean. Like not like a Id. at 25:16-21.
When the basement of the Premises flooded in 2009, LCore contacted and paid for a
plumber to repair the damages. Id. at 62:2-63:10. When there were problems or issues with oil
and/or heating the Premises, LCore took the calls because the Kosco Oil contracts were signed
by LCore. Id. at 66:6-10. Furthermore, based upon building department records from the New
Paltz Department of Buildings, whenever repairs (plumbing, heating, parking, alarm system,
garbage removal) were required, LCore was contacted, and itarranged for the issues to be
resolved. Ii at 66:13. LCore also handled a burst pipe issue in 2007, and was the point of
contact for fire extinguishing system issues in 2010. I4 at 68:16-22. LCore was contacted by
the Building Department of the Village of New Paltz on March 9, 2011, with respect to the
absence of a grill over the exhaust fan and a broken protective cover over a fluorescent light in
the women's restroom, and was also notified on that date of the absence of an inspection report
for the hood/fire suppression system, which was required to be checked every six months. These
facts show an ongoing and uncontroverted retained interest on the part of LCore in controlling
the premises.
III. LCORE HAD ACTUAL NOTICE OF A DANGEROUS CONDITION ON ITS
PROPERTY
As LCore notes, "In order for a landowner to be liable in tort to a plaintiff who is injured
as a result of an allegedly defective condition on property, itmust be established that a defective
condition existed and that the landowner affirmatively created the condition or had actual or
existence."
constructive notice of its Lee Aff., ¶ 78, citing Steed v. MVA Enters., LLC, 136
A.D.3d (2d Dept. 2016). Ben Lai, representing LCore, testified that when he inspected the
Premises in October 2014, he observed a curtain separating the storage area from the seating area
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of Jordan's and the hallway behind the bathrooms. See Lee Aff., Exhibit D, Deposition of Ben
Lai, 55:18-25. "Jordan put the curtain up for aesthetics reasonably soon after he opened the
space."
restaurant and used this to block off the storage space from the public See Lee Aff., at ¶
47, citing Exhibit T, Deposition of Jordan Schor, p. 144. Thus, Ben Lai had actual knowledge of
a dangerous condition since Jordan's opened. Ben Lai further testified that behind the curtain,
normal."
"Itwas dark, darker than, you know, Lee Aff., Exhibit D, 55:18-21. Therefore, prior to
the Plaintiff's fall,LCore had actual notice of an installed curtain and an abnormally darkened
storage area. "In order to establish the notice element in such a negligence claim, plaintiff is
required to demonstrate only that the defendant had notice of the condition that the plaintiff
alleges was dangerous; the plaintiff is 'not required to demonstrate that [the] defendant [ ]knew
dangerous.'"
that th[e] condition [ ] [was] Parslow v. Leake, 117 A.D.3d 55, 63 (4th Dept.
2014), quoting Harris v. Seager, 93 A.D.3d 1308, 1309 (4th Dept. 2012).
In addition, given the substantial passage of time, a question of fact exists whether
LCore, through Ben Lai, had constructive knowledge of the other hazards contributing to the
trap-like conditions in the storage area of the Premises (besides the unusual darkness).
LCore argues that since Plaintiff has not alleged a structural or statutory defect on the
Premises that LCore has no liability in this action. See Lee Aff. ¶¶ 61, 63. However, "the
alleged compliance with applicable statutes and regulations is not dispositive of the question
law."
whether [defendant] satisfied duties under the common Parslow, at 62, citing Kellman v.
45 Tiemann Assoc., 87 N.Y.2d 871, 872 (1995). "Despite the property's apparent compliance
with the local statutes and regulations, a jury could nevertheless determine that the absence of a
condition."
screen or fall protection device in the window constituted a dangerous Parslow, at
62. Likewise, here, a jury could determine that that the abnormally dark hallway (which was
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perceived during daylight hours by Ben Lai) constituted a dangerous condition in the Premises.
Accord, Hovey v. State, 261 A.D. 759, 762 (3d Dept. 1941) ("failure to light or illuminate said
stairway created a dangerous condition"); Barone v. Risi, 128 A.D.3d 874, 875 (2d Dept. 2015)
(denying summary judgment to defendants because "a condition that is ordinarily apparent to a
person making reasonable use of his or her senses may be rendered a trap for the unwary where
the condition is obscured for example, by other objects or by inadequate illumination"); Sheridan
v. Very, Ltd., 2008 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 9341 (Sup.Ct. New York, Dec. 2, 2008) ("poor lighting
coupled with other 'factors, such as inadequate warning of drop, . .. inadequate demarcation
condition'
between raised and lowered areas, or some other distraction or similar dangerous may
support a finding of liability by the landlord") (internal citations omitted).
defendants'
In contrast to the affidavit of building inspector expert, Gary E. Beck, Jr.,
plaintiff's expert, Rudy Uhlitzsch opines that "the conditions inside the Premises, such as the
absence of visible markings, absence of locked basement door, absence of adequate light, and the
fall."
curtain created a trap and a dangerous situation which caused Ms. Buckstine to S_e_eAugust
13, 2019 Affidavit of Rudy Uhlitzsch, ¶ 6, annexed to the Krouner Aff. in Opposition to Schor,
as Exhibit F.
LCore, through Ben Lai, had actual notice of the darkness hazard. LCore, through Ben
Lai, had at least constructive notice of the other dangers, identified by Mr. Uhlitzsch.
Consequently, LCore's motion for summary judgment must be denied.
CONCLUSIOl¶
For the reasons set forth above, Defendant LCore's motion for summary judgment should
be denied.
Dated: Chappaqua, New York
August 19, 2019
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Respectfully submitted
LAW OFFICE OF TODD J. KROUNER, P.C.
By:
Todd J. o er
Attorneys Plaintiff
93 North Greeley Avenue
Chappaqua, New York 10514
(914) 238-5800
To:
Kimberly Hunt Lee, Esq.
McCabe & Mack LLP
Attorneys for Defendant LCore Enterprise Corp.
63 Washington Street
P.O. Box 509
Poughkeepsie, New York 12602
(845) 486-6800
Frank Malpigli, Esq.
Miranda Sambursky Slone Sklarin Verveniotis LLP
Attorneys for Defendants Jordan Schor, and
Jordan's Of New Paltz LLC
240 Mineola Boulevard
Mineola, New York 11501
(516) 741-7676
Stephen D. Donohue, Esq.
Attorney for Defendant Wayne Bradford
365 Route 304, Suite 203
Bardonia, NY 10954
(845) 623-2345
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