Opinion
10-10-2017
Dulce FIGUEROA, Plaintiff–Appellant, v. SKILLMAN REALTY CO., Defendant–Respondent. Skillman Realty Co., Third–Party Plaintiff–Respondent, v. Brooks Brothers Inc., et al., Third–Party Defendants–Respondents, Jerrold M. Sonet, etc., Defendant.
Diamond & Diamond, LLC, Brooklyn (Stuart Diamond of counsel), for appellant. Varvaro, Cotter & Bender, White Plains (Julie C. Hellberg of counsel), for Skillman Realty Co., respondent. London Fischer LLP, New York (Tracy J. Weinstein of counsel), for Brooks Brothers Inc., respondent. Savona, D'Erasmo & Hyer LLC, New York (Raymond M. D'Erasmo of counsel), for Donghia International, Ltd., respondent.
Diamond & Diamond, LLC, Brooklyn (Stuart Diamond of counsel), for appellant.
Varvaro, Cotter & Bender, White Plains (Julie C. Hellberg of counsel), for Skillman Realty Co., respondent.
London Fischer LLP, New York (Tracy J. Weinstein of counsel), for Brooks Brothers Inc., respondent.
Savona, D'Erasmo & Hyer LLC, New York (Raymond M. D'Erasmo of counsel), for Donghia International, Ltd., respondent.
Order, Supreme Court, Bronx County (Wilma Guzman, J.), entered September 23, 2015, which, to the extent appealed from as limited by the briefs, granted the motions of defendant/third-party plaintiff Skillman Realty Co. (Skillman) and of third-party defendant Brooks Brothers, Inc. for summary judgment dismissing the complaint as against Skillman, unanimously affirmed, without costs.
Under the terms of the lease, third-party defendant Brooks Brothers had sole responsibility for maintaining the area where plaintiff sustained her injuries. Skillman was an out-of-possession landlord with no obligation to perform repairs, and thus, cannot be liable, since the wet floor that allegedly caused plaintiff to slip and fall was not a significant structural or design defect contrary to a specific statutory safety provision (see Bing v. 296 Third Ave. Group, LP, 94 A.D.3d 413, 414, 941 N.Y.S.2d 141 [1st Dept 2012], lv. denied 19 N.Y.3d 815, 955 N.Y.S.2d 554, 979 N.E.2d 815 [2012] ; Devlin v. Blaggards III Rest. Corp., 80 A.D.3d 497, 916 N.Y.S.2d 580 [1st Dept.2011], lv. denied 16 N.Y.3d 713, 924 N.Y.S.2d 322, 948 N.E.2d 929 [2011] ).
We considered plaintiff's remaining contentions and find them unavailing.
RICHTER, J.P., GISCHE, KAPNICK, KAHN, KERN, JJ., concur.