Sauer v. Mannino, 309 A.D.2d 1053 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2003). · Go Syfert
Sauer v. Mannino, 309 A.D.2d 1053 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2003). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
10 citation events (10 in the last 25 years) across 1 distinct court.
Cited for
At page 1054 argument that handrail would have prevented fall pure speculation when the plaintiffs arms were full of scrap metal5 citing cases1 citing court put it this way
  • Finnigan v. Lasher, 90 A.D.3d 1286 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2011).published
    (argument that handrail would have prevented fall pure speculation when the plaintiffs arms were full of scrap metal)
  • Marino v. A.G. Props. of Kingston, LLC, 85 A.D.3d 1429 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2011).published
    As for plaintiffs’ contention that their cross motion for summary judgment should have been granted because the defect in the stairs constituted a violation of the Building Code (see 9 NYCRR 765.4 [a] [9]), we note that it has not been est…
  • Brethour v. Alice Hyde Med. Ctr., 85 A.D.3d 1271 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2011).published
    In the absence of any evidence that the Velcro was worn or defective, Alice Hyde’s theory that it could have weakened over time was merely “ ‘unfounded speculation, which is insufficient to deny summary judgment’ ” (Avina v Verburg, 47 AD3…
  • Avina v. Verburg, 47 A.D.3d 1188 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2008).published
    Accordingly, “[t]he possibility that handrails would have prevented [plaintiffs] fall is unfounded speculation, which is insufficient to deny summary judgment,” and Supreme Court properly dismissed the complaint (Sauer v Mannino, 309 AD2d…
  • Kraft v. Loso, 154 A.D.3d 1265 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2017).published
    Nor can we conclude, as a matter of law, that Kraft would have been unable to grasp the handrail — which was located to the left of her as she descended the stairs — due to the fact that she was holding her grandchild in her right arm when…
At page 1053 Kane, J. Appeal from an order of the Supreme Court (Connor, J.), entered December 11, 2002 in Columbia County, which denied defendants’ motion for summary…3 citing casesopening of page *1053 (no citing court says what it cites this page for)
  • Boice v. PCK Dev. Co., LLC, 121 A.D.3d 1246 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2014).published 2 cites
    While a landlord who retains the right to enter the leased property to make repairs may be liable to injuries to third parties (see Brown v BT-Newyo, LLC, 93 AD3d 1138, 1138 [2012], lv denied 19 NY3d 815 [2012]; Sauer v Mannino, 309 AD2d 1…
  • BoicevPCKDevelopmentCompany,LLC, No. 517698 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't Oct. 16, 2014).published
    While a landlord who retains the right to enter the leased property to make repairs may be liable to injuries to third parties (see Brown v BT-Newyo, LLC, 93 AD3d 1138, 1138 [2012], lv denied 19 NY3d 815 [2012]; Sauer v Mannino, 309 AD2d 1…
  • Brown v. BT-Newyo, LLC, 93 A.D.3d 1138 (N.Y. App. Div. 3d Dep't 2012).published
    Under an exception to that rule, “[a]n out-of possession landlord who retains the right to reenter the leased premises for purposes of inspection or structural repair may be held liable for injuries to third parties only where the injuries…
Retrieving the full opinion text from the archive…
William Sauer
v.
Robert S. Mannino
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
Oct 23, 2003.
Published opinion
309 A.D.2d 1053
2003 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 10938
Kane.
Cited by 10 opinions  |  Published
Kane, J.

Appeal from an order of the Supreme Court (Connor, J.), entered December 11, 2002 in Columbia County, which denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.

Defendants leased a warehouse to Never sink Construction Corporation, which employed plaintiff William Sauer (hereinafter plaintiff). The lease provided that defendants were responsible for making structural repairs and remedying code violations, and retained the right to enter the premises for these purposes. Never sink obtained a set of wooden stairs from a job it completed, transported them to the leased premises and placed them against a loading dock without securing them. As plaintiff walked onto the top step, the stairs collapsed, causing him to fall. Plaintiff and his wife, derivatively, commenced this personal injury action alleging negligent maintenance of the premises in that the stairs did not have handrails, they were not attached to the building and the risers were improperly nailed to the treads. Following joinder of issue and discovery, defendants moved for summary judgment. Supreme Court denied the motion. We reverse.

An out-of-possession landlord who retains the right to reenter the leased premises for purposes of inspection or structural repair may be held liable for injuries to third parties only where[*1054] the injuries arise from structural defects or a specific statutory violation (see Hausmann v UMK, Inc., 296 AD2d 336, 336 [2002]; Regensdorfer v Central Buffalo Project Corp., 247 AD2d 931, 932 [1998]). Even if we consider these stairs to be part of the building’s structure, defendants are not liable for the alleged defects created by unsafe nailing of the risers to the treads or the failure to securely attach the stairs to the building. Neversink placed the stairs without asking or notifying defendants, and there was no defect in the loading dock provided by defendants. “[A]n out-of-possession landlord will not be held responsible for unsafe conditions brought about through the act of its tenant” (Davison v Wiggand, 259 AD2d 799, 802 [1999], lv denied 94 NY2d 751 [1999]).

Even if we were to find that a landlord is responsible for code violations created by a tenant, the code violations alleged here are inapplicable or were not the proximate cause of plaintiffs injuries. Plaintiffs raise several alleged building code violations regarding lack of handrails or guardrails on stairs (see 9 NYCRR 765.4 [a] [10], [11], [13]).[1] Assuming that plaintiffs could establish those violations, there is no proof that the lack of handrails was a proximate cause of plaintiff’s injuries (see Larkins v Hayes, 267 AD2d 524, 526 [1999]). Plaintiff testified in his deposition that his arms were full of scrap metal when the riser on one side of the stairs separated from the treads, causing the stairway to collapse. The possibility that handrails would have prevented his fall is unfounded speculation, which is insufficient to deny summary judgment (see id. at 526; Ackert v V.A. W. of Am., 249 AD2d 804, 804-805 [1998]).

Plaintiffs also allege a code violation under 9 NYCRR 765.4 (c) (3)[2] because the stairs were not attached to the building. That subdivision is facially inapplicable here. It requires balconies and platforms on exterior stairways to be securely attached to the building, but these stairs had no balcony or platform. Accordingly, summary judgment should have been granted to defendants dismissing the complaint under each of plaintiffs’ theories.

Mercure, J.P., Peters, Spain and Rose, JJ., concur. Ordered[*1055] that the order is reversed, on the law, with costs, motion granted and complaint dismissed.

1

Plaintiffs also cite the nonexistent 9 NYCRR 765.4 (b) (4), presumably an incorrect citation of subdivision (c) (4), dealing with guardrails on exterior stairways. In any event, our discussion of proximate cause applies to that subdivision as well.

2

Plaintiffs actually cite this regulation as 9 NYCRR 765.4 (b) (3), a subdivision which does not exist. Defendants acknowledge (c) (3) as the presumably intended subdivision.