Property owners have a duty to keep their premises safe, and to protect passersby from dangerous or defective conditions. While courts will generally let a jury decide whether a dangerous or defective condition exists, property owners may be entitled to move for summary judgment where they can show, as a matter of law, that the alleged dangerous or defective condition was “trivial.” How a landowner demonstrates that a defect is “trivial,” however, may affect whether they receive summary judgment.

Two recent Second Department decisions, Kavanagh v. Archdiocese of the City of New York and Chojnacki v Old Westbury Gardens, Inc, demonstrate why landowners must take care to show, rather than tell, the court why an alleged defect is “trivial.” In Kavanaugh, plaintiff allegedly tripped and fell on an interior hallway tile while exiting a church owned by defendant. The Archdiocese moved for summary judgment, claiming that the alleged tile defect was trivial as a matter of law. In support of its motion, the Archdiocese submitted photographs of the alleged defect, measurements of the tile (which demonstrated that the defect involved, at most, a one-eighth inch height difference), and plaintiff’s own testimony of the time, place, and circumstances surrounding her injury. The trial court denied the Archdiocese’s motion, finding that an issue of fact existed as to whether the defect was “trivial.”

The Second Department reversed the trial court on appeal and granted summary judgment to the Archdiocese. The court first noted that while there is no specific “dimension test” to determine whether a defect is “trivial,” the court should look the individual facts of the case, such as the measurements and appearance of the defect and the circumstances surrounding plaintiff’s injury, to determine whether the defect is “trivial” or actionable. The court then determined that the Archdiocese, via its photographic evidence and plaintiff’s testimony” met its burden of proof to show that the defect itself was insignificant, and that there was nothing about the defect itself or the surrounding area that would increase the risk of injury to people as they walked by the defect.

On the same day that the Second Department granted summary judgment in Kavanaugh, it reversed summary judgment to the defendant landowner in Chojnacki, holding that the landowner had failed to establish that the alleged defect, a raised brick on a pathway, was “trivial” as a matter of law. The landowner submitted an expert affidavit and photographic evidence from the plaintiff depicting her on the ground shortly after she fell.  However,  the court noted that it could not see the raised brick on which she allegedly fell in the submitted photographs, and therefore could not tell whether the defect was in fact “trivial” or not.

When it comes to demonstrating that a defect is “trivial,” more evidence is better! High-quality photographs of the alleged defect and the surrounding area—with measurements—will go a long way towards showing the court why the alleged defect is not actionable. Absence of such evidence is noticeable, and likely fatal to any summary judgment motion.

Thanks to Peter Luccarelli for his contribution.

For more information, contact Denise Fontana Ricci at .