SCUDDER, P.J.
Plaintiffs commenced this action seeking damages for injuries that Bryan Parslow (plaintiff) sustained when he fell out of a second-story bathroom window while attending a party at "the Roxbury," a residence owned and managed by defendant Mr. G. Rentals, LLC, which in turn is owned solely by defendant Norman C. Giancursio. All of the defendants-respondents-appellants except Jonathan M. Henty (resident defendants) rented individual rooms inside the Roxbury and, pursuant to their leases, were authorized to use and were required to clean the common areas, kitchens and bathrooms inside the residence. The resident defendants, Henty and others held themselves out as the Delta Iota chapter of a fraternity known as Sigma Alpha Mu, but it is undisputed that defendant Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity, Inc. (National), terminated its relationship with the Delta Iota chapter in 2005.
As relevant on the appeal and cross appeals, the resident defendants, and defendants Daniel C. Diaz and William K. Genewick, individually moved or cross-moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint against them, and the National cross-moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint against it. Supreme Court granted the motion of the National in its entirety and dismissed the complaint against it. The court also dismissed the 8th, 11th, and 12th causes of action. The court dismissed the third cause of action, for premises liability, insofar as it was asserted against resident defendants Steven B. Leake, Karl Smith, Corey Wilson, Kenneth M. Koperda, Theodore L. Bilohlavek and Nathan P. Zilak. The court denied the motions and cross motions of the remaining resident defendants, as well as the motion of Diaz, insofar as each sought dismissal of the third cause of action against them. The court dismissed
On this appeal and these cross appeals, we address the court's determinations with respect to the third, fourth, fifth and eighth causes of action as well as the court's dismissal of the entire complaint against the National. We note that, following submission of their appellate brief, plaintiffs withdrew their appeal insofar as it concerns Schneider and Henty, and Henty withdrew his cross appeal against plaintiffs.
We agree with plaintiffs that the court erred in dismissing the third cause of action against Leake, Smith, Wilson, Koperda, Bilohlavek and Zilak, and we reject the contentions of Schlobohm, Wolcott, Leonello, Hooks, Morgan, and Barry that the court erred in refusing to dismiss that cause of action against them. The third cause of action alleges that the resident defendants were responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the Roxbury and that they failed in their duty to keep the property in a safe and proper condition. It is well settled that "`[l]iability for a dangerous condition on property is predicated upon occupancy, ownership, control or a special use of [the] premises'" (Clifford v Woodlawn Volunteer Fire Co., Inc., 31 A.D.3d 1102, 1103 [2006]; see Knight v Realty USA.COM, Inc., 96 A.D.3d 1443, 1444 [2012]). Thus, a tenant, i.e., one who both occupies and controls the property, "has a common-law duty to keep the premises it occupies in a reasonably safe condition, even when the landlord has explicitly agreed in the lease to maintain the premises" (Reimold v Walden Terrace, Inc., 85 A.D.3d 1144, 1145 [2011]; see Milewski v Washington Mut., Inc., 88 A.D.3d 853, 854-855 [2011]).
Here, although plaintiff was unable to recall the circumstances of his fall from the second-story window, the resident defendants submitted evidence from which negligence and causation may be reasonably inferred (see Lane, 96 AD3d at 1364-1365; Rothbard, 235 AD2d at 678; cf. Smart v Zambito, 85 A.D.3d 1721, 1721-1722 [2011]). We thus conclude that the burden never shifted to plaintiffs to raise a triable issue of fact (see generally Alvarez v Prospect Hosp., 68 N.Y.2d 320, 324 [1986]).
As tenants of the Roxbury, the resident defendants both occupied and controlled the premises and thus "owe[d] a duty of reasonable care to maintain [the] property in a safe condition and to give warning of unsafe conditions that are not open and obvious" (Barry v Gorecki, 38 A.D.3d 1213, 1216 [2007]; see Duclos v County of Monroe, 258 A.D.2d 925, 926 [1999]; see also Milewski, 88 AD3d at 854-855; Reimold, 85 AD3d at 1145; see generally Basso v Miller, 40 N.Y.2d 233, 240-241 [1976]). Although the resident defendants rented individual rooms inside the residence, they each exercised control over the bathrooms inside the Roxbury and were required, pursuant to the terms of
Having concluded that the resident defendants had a duty to maintain the bathrooms of the Roxbury in a reasonably safe condition, we now address whether those defendants breached that duty. As the Court of Appeals has recognized, a determination "whether a dangerous or defective condition exists on the property of another so as to create liability depends on the peculiar facts and circumstances of each case and is generally a question of fact for the jury" (Trincere v County of Suffolk, 90 N.Y.2d 976, 977 [1997] [internal quotation marks omitted]; see Bielicki v Excel Indus., Inc., 104 A.D.3d 1318, 1318 [2013]). In our view, the resident defendants failed to establish as a matter of law that the window from which plaintiff fell did not constitute a dangerous condition on the night of the incident. The window was 78 inches high and 35 inches wide, and the window sill was "extremely low," measuring only 13¾ inches above the floor. When fully opened, the opening measured 39 inches in height. The window had no screen or fall protection device and, on the night of the incident, it was fully open and was covered by blinds.
While the resident defendants established that the Roxbury had been recently inspected by a code enforcement officer and that a new certificate of occupancy had been issued, the "alleged compliance with the applicable statutes and regulations is not dispositive of the question whether [the resident defendants] satisfied [their] duties under the common law" (Kellman v 45 Tiemann Assoc., 87 N.Y.2d 871, 872 [1995]; cf. Hyman v Queens County Bancorp, Inc., 3 N.Y.3d 743, 744-745 [2004]). In our view, despite the property's apparent compliance with the local statutes and regulations, a jury could nevertheless determine that the absence of a screen or fall protection device in the window constituted a dangerous condition (see Radcliffe v Hofstra Univ., 200 A.D.2d 562, 563 [1994]; Yahudah v Metro N. Riverview House, 129 A.D.2d 429, 431 [1987]; see also Rothbard, 235 AD2d at 677-678). Inasmuch as the resident defendants failed to establish as a matter of law that they did not breach their duty to maintain the premises in a reasonably safe condition, the burden never shifted to plaintiffs to raise a triable issue of fact (see generally Alvarez, 68 NY2d at 324).
We further conclude that the resident defendants failed to establish as a matter of law that the hazard posed by the window was open and obvious and thus that they had no duty to warn plaintiff of the hazard it presented.
As a side matter, we note that, even if the resident defendants had no duty to warn, their duty to keep the premises in a reasonably safe condition would not thereby be impacted (see Pelow v Tri-Main Dev., 303 A.D.2d 940, 941 [2003]).
The resident defendants further contend that they are entitled to summary judgment dismissing the third cause of action against them because they did not have actual or constructive notice of the allegedly dangerous condition. We reject that contention. "In seeking summary judgment dismissing the [third cause of action], [the resident] defendant[s] had the initial burden of establishing that [they] did not create the alleged[ly] dangerous condition and did not have actual or constructive notice of it" (King v Sam's E., Inc., 81 A.D.3d 1414, 1414-1415 [2011] [internal quotation marks omitted]; see Navetta v Onondaga Galleries LLC, 106 A.D.3d 1468, 1468-1469 [2013]). Inasmuch as plaintiffs did not assert that the resident defendants created the allegedly dangerous condition, "the only issue before the court was whether [they] had actual or constructive notice thereof" (Navetta, 106 AD3d at 1469).
While some of the resident defendants established that they lacked actual notice of the condition, none of them established as a matter of law that they lacked constructive notice of it. "To constitute constructive notice, a defect [or dangerous condition] must be visible and apparent and it must exist for a sufficient length of time prior to the accident to permit defendant[s] ... to discover and remedy it" (Gordon v American Museum of Natural History, 67 N.Y.2d 836, 837 [1986]; see Navetta, 106 AD3d at 1469). Moreover, in order to establish the notice element in such a negligence claim, a 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 that th[e] condition[] [was] dangerous" (Harris v Seager, 93 A.D.3d 1308, 1309 [2012]).
Contrary to the resident defendants' contentions, we conclude that they failed to meet their initial burden on the issue
With respect to the fourth cause of action, however, we agree with the resident defendants that the court erred in denying their motions and cross motions seeking summary judgment dismissing that cause of action against them. Plaintiffs alleged, inter alia, that the resident defendants served alcohol, permitted alcohol to be served or permitted individuals to bring alcohol to the party. As a result of the consumption of alcohol on the premises, attendees and guests, such as plaintiff, became intoxicated. Plaintiffs further alleged that the resident defendants had control over the attendees and guests and should have known of their intoxication. According to plaintiffs, the resident defendants "had the opportunity and duty to supervise the attendees and guests" and "had a duty to act in a reasonable manner to prevent harm to the attendees and guests." Plaintiffs thus alleged that the resident defendants were negligent in failing to supervise the 18-year-old plaintiff and that, as a result of that negligence, plaintiff "was caused to fall out of" the second-story bathroom window.
Hosts of parties where alcohol is consumed in a home that they either own or occupy risk exposure to liability under two
The duty established in D'Amico is "the duty to control the conduct of third persons for the protection of others on the premises," and that duty applies to landowners as well as those who are in control or possession of the property (Dynas, 307 AD2d at 147 [emphasis added]). In essence, the intoxicated guest becomes a dangerous condition, and the "common-law doctrine relating to landowners' liability for dangerous conditions on their land [is meant to] protect third persons injured by intoxicated guests" (D'Amico, 71 NY2d at 87 [emphasis added]; see Sheehy v Big Flats Community Day, 73 N.Y.2d 629, 636-637 [1989]; see e.g. Demarest v Bailey, 246 A.D.2d 772, 773 [1998]; Comeau v Lucas, 90 A.D.2d 674, 675 [1982]; cf. Pettit v Green, 104 A.D.3d 1149, 1150 [2013]; Ahlers v Wildermuth, 70 A.D.3d 1154,
With respect to the second theory of negligence, i.e., negligent supervision, that theory imposes liability on adults who fail to supervise intoxicated minors (see generally Aquino, 15 NY3d at 905). The duty to supervise in such instances arises from the fact that
In Aquino, the Court was addressing the theories of liability against the adult homeowners (parent-defendants) related to injuries sustained by an intoxicated minor. In that case, numerous 13- and 14-year-old children were at a party hosted by one of the parent-defendants' children with the permission of the parent-defendants. No alcohol was to be permitted but, unbeknownst to the parent-defendants, the children consumed alcohol in the basement, and several became intoxicated. The parent-defendants learned of the consumption of alcohol and intoxication when they went into the basement at the end of the party and observed beer cans (Aquino v Higgins, 68 A.D.3d 1650,
In our view, the use of the word "supervise" in many of the D'Amico, i.e., landowner liability, cases has caused courts to conflate the idea of landowner liability with liability for negligent supervision of minors. An example of that conflation is found in Struebel v Fladd (75 A.D.3d 1164 [2010]), a recent decision of this Court. While not all of the relevant facts are contained in the reported decision, we may take judicial notice of the record in that appeal (see Edgewater Constr. Co., Inc. v 81 & 3 of Watertown, Inc. [appeal No. 2], 24 A.D.3d 1229, 1231 [2005]). In Struebel, the decedent was a 17-year-old minor who became intoxicated at a party hosted by another minor. The decedent fell from a second-story porch and died as a result of his injuries. Decedent's mother, individually and as the administrator of his estate, commenced an action against, inter alia, the minor host's mother and her fiancé, who were the two adults residing at the property with the minor host. While we dismissed the action against the fiancé on the ground that "the record establishe[d] that [he] was not present at the house at any time that evening" (75 AD3d at 1164), we refused to dismiss the claim for negligent supervision against the minor host's mother, finding that there was evidence in the record that she "was at the house at various times during the evening in question" (id.). We concluded that there were issues of fact whether the minor host's mother "had the opportunity to control the conduct of third persons on [the] premises and [was] reasonably aware of the need for such control ..., and thus [could] be held liable for negligent supervision" (id. at 1165 [internal quotation marks omitted]). Although we cited to Dynas (307 AD2d at 147), Place v Cooper (35 A.D.3d 1260, 1261 [2006]) and D'Amico (71 NY2d at 85) in support of our holding, those cases involved plaintiffs who had been injured by an intoxicated adult guest. In Struebel, however, the intoxicated minor injured himself. As noted above, the Court of Appeals has stated that liability
In our view, this case is indistinguishable from O'Neill v Ithaca Coll. (56 A.D.3d 869, 871-872 [2008]), in which a college student voluntarily consumed alcohol before falling from a second-floor balcony. Inasmuch as there was no proof that a third person was involved in the injured plaintiff's fall, the Third Department concluded that there was no basis to hold the party hosts liable, i.e., no duty to the injured plaintiff that was breached (see id.). While the dissent correctly notes that the Third Department in O'Neill wrote that the injured plaintiff had not been stumbling or slurring her words, and was not otherwise unable to control her physical abilities, the Court did not actually hold that liability would have attached if she had demonstrated those telltale signs of intoxication. Because the injured plaintiff in O'Neill had not displayed such signs, the Court did not decide the issue whether liability could have attached under different circumstances. Unlike the dissent, we do not attach any significance to the dicta of the Third Department in O'Neill.
It is the position of our dissenting colleague that Sheehy applies only to the negligent provision of alcohol and not to the negligent supervision of intoxicated adults. We cannot agree with that position. The issue in this case, insofar as it relates to the negligent supervision claim, is whether the resident defendants had a duty to the adult plaintiff to supervise him and to protect him from injuring himself as a result of his voluntary intoxication. Any duty of the resident defendants to protect the intoxicated plaintiff from himself would come from the fact that they hosted the party, i.e., they provided the alcohol. Otherwise,
The resident defendants further contend that the court erred in failing to dismiss the fifth cause of action against them in its entirety. We agree with the resident defendants in that respect, but we also agree with plaintiffs that the court erred in dismissing the eighth cause of action against the resident defendants, and Genewick and Diaz. The fifth cause of action alleged violations of General Obligations Law § 11-100 and Alcoholic Beverage Control Law § 65, but was asserted solely by plaintiff and not by plaintiff Beth Parslow, his mother. The eighth cause of action also alleged a violation of General Obligations Law § 11-100, but was asserted solely by plaintiff's mother. She alleged that the resident defendants, and Genewick and Diaz, among others, provided or procured the alcohol consumed by plaintiff, who was under the age of 21. She further alleged that, as plaintiff's mother, she was caused and compelled to incur medical and other expenses after plaintiff fell out of a second-story window while in an intoxicated condition. In its decision, the court dismissed the fifth cause of action "as to the claims of plaintiff," but refused to dismiss the fifth cause of action "as to the claims of Beth Parslow." Finding that the eighth cause of action "seem[ed] in the main to assert a common law theory of liability for furnishing alcohol to [someone under the age of 21]," the court dismissed that cause of action.
The resident defendants contend on their cross appeals that the court should have dismissed the fifth cause of action against them in its entirety. "Alcoholic Beverage Control Law § 65 does not create an independent statutory cause of action" (Sullivan v Mulinos of Westchester, Inc., 73 A.D.3d 1018, 1020 [2010]), and it is well established that General Obligations Law § 11-100 does not provide a right of recovery for persons under the age of 21 (underage persons) who seek to recover for injuries
Plaintiffs contend on their appeal that the court erred in dismissing the eighth cause of action against the resident defendants, and Genewick and Diaz. We again agree. Contrary to the court's interpretation, the eighth cause of action alleged a violation of General Obligations Law § 11-100, and was asserted by plaintiff's mother only. It is well established that "she can recover for medical [and other] expenses she incurred on behalf of [plaintiff]" (Rudden, 61 AD3d at 738; see McArdle v 123 Jackpot, Inc., 51 A.D.3d 743, 746 [2008]).
Although the resident defendants contend that they cannot be liable under General Obligations Law § 11-100 because they were merely "passive participant[s]" who did not play "an indispensable role" in procuring the alcohol consumed by plaintiff the night of the incident (Rust v Reyer, 91 N.Y.2d 355, 361 [1998]), we reject that contention. General Obligations Law § 11-100 (1) provides that
With respect to the resident defendants and Diaz, we conclude that they failed to establish as a matter of law that they did not unlawfully furnish or unlawfully assist in procuring alcoholic beverages for plaintiff. The evidence submitted by the resident defendants and Diaz in support of their motions and cross motions raises issues of fact whether they, as members of the defunct local fraternity or as residents of the Roxbury, participated in "a deliberate plan to provide, supply or give alcohol to... underage person[s]" (Rust, 91 NY2d at 360). Indeed, the evidence submitted by the resident defendants and Diaz raises
With respect to Genewick, we agree with plaintiffs that the eighth cause of action should be reinstated with respect to him inasmuch as it is undisputed that he furnished or assisted in procuring some of the alcohol consumed by plaintiff on the night of the incident (see General Obligations Law § 11-100).
We thus conclude that the eighth cause of action should be reinstated against the resident defendants, and Genewick and Diaz.
Finally, we reject plaintiffs' contention that the court erred in dismissing the complaint against the National. That defendant submitted evidence in support of its motion establishing that it had disbanded the local chapter in 2005 and did not reinstate it thereafter. We thus conclude that the National demonstrated as a matter of law that it had no agency relationship with or control over the local chapter at the time of the incident (see Parlato v Equitable Life Assur. Socy. of U.S., 299 A.D.2d 108, 116-117 [2002], lv denied 99 N.Y.2d 508 [2003]; cf. Oja v Grand Ch. of Theta Chi Fraternity, 255 A.D.2d 781, 781-782 [1998]). Although the resident defendants and others continued to represent themselves as being affiliated with the National, a claim of apparent agency requires that the principal engage in misleading conduct that induces reliance by a third party (see Hallock v State of New York, 64 N.Y.2d 224, 231 [1984]; King v Mitchell, 31 A.D.3d 958, 959 [2006]). Agents cannot "imbue [themselves] with apparent authority" through their own acts (Hallock, 64 NY2d at 231; see Children's Day Treatment Ctr. & School, Inc. v Dorn, 83 A.D.3d 425, 425 [2011]).
Accordingly, we conclude that the order should be modified by denying those parts of the motions and cross motions of Leake, Smith, Wilson, Koperda, Bilohlavek and Zilak seeking summary judgment dismissing the third cause of action against them. We
FAHEY, J. (dissenting in part).
I agree with the majority that Supreme Court erred in dismissing the third cause of action, for premises liability, against defendants-respondents-appellants Steven B. Leake, Karl Smith, Corey Wilson, Kenneth M. Koperda, Theodore L. Bilohlavek and Nathan P. Zilak. I also agree with the majority that the court erred in failing to dismiss the fifth cause of action in its entirety against those whom my colleagues in the majority characterize as the resident defendants, i.e., all of the defendants-respondents-appellants except Jonathan M. Henty. The fifth cause of action was asserted solely by Bryan Parslow (plaintiff) and alleged violations of General Obligations Law § 11-100 and Alcoholic Beverage Control Law § 65. Likewise, I agree with the majority that the court erred in dismissing the eighth cause of action, which was asserted solely by plaintiff Beth Parslow and which alleged a violation of General Obligations Law § 11-100, against the resident defendants, and defendants William K. Genewick and Daniel C. Diaz.
I cannot agree with the majority, however, that the court erred in denying the motions and cross motions of the resident defendants seeking summary judgment dismissing the fourth cause of action, for negligent supervision, against them. In my view, the resident defendants had a duty to supervise and control their guests, including plaintiff, at the party at issue, and I conclude that the order should be affirmed to that extent. I therefore respectfully dissent in part.
As the majority notes, this action arises from an incident in which plaintiff fell out of a second-story window while attending a party at a house owned and managed by defendant Mr. G. Rentals, LLC. The house was occupied by 20 tenants and all of the resident defendants rented individual rooms in the house. The resident defendants and others held themselves out as members of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity.
The determination to hold the party was made during a weekly meeting of the fraternity attended by nearly everyone
Guests at the party were not asked for proof of age and plaintiff, who was an 18-year-old college freshman, paid to attend the party with a group of three other friends. Plaintiff's group brought a backpack containing approximately 15 cans of beer to the party, which entitled them to a discount on their payment for admission to the party, and additional beer was also available for guests. Plaintiff initially drank beer that his group brought to the party, and he participated in a fraternity rush interview and eventually played a game of "beer pong" fueled by beer provided at the party.
Approximately one hour after participating in that "beer pong" game, plaintiff vomited, "slurred his words" and was "swaying." One of the members of plaintiff's group advised plaintiff that plaintiff "probably should get to the bathroom," which was on the second floor of the house. Plaintiff, who was obviously drunk, staggered in the direction of that room. The casing of the bathroom's window was seven feet high and four feet wide, and its sill was approximately 14 inches from the floor. The window, which was double-hung, had an opening that was three feet high and four feet wide, and it did not have a screen or fall protection device.
Shortly after entering the bathroom alone, plaintiff was discovered on the ground outside, below the bathroom window. The bathroom window was "wide open," but the window opening was concealed by horizontal blinds that covered the opening at the time plaintiff fell. The fall left plaintiff paralyzed from the waist down.
"Landowners in general have a duty to act in a reasonable manner to prevent harm to those on their property" (D'Amico v Christie, 71 N.Y.2d 76, 85 [1987]; see Martino v Stolzman, 18 N.Y.3d 905, 908 [2012]). "The existence and scope of [that] duty is, in the first instance, a legal question for determination by the courts" (Sanchez v State of New York, 99 N.Y.2d 247, 252 [2002]; see Di Ponzio v Riordan, 89 N.Y.2d 578, 583 [1997]; Kolodziejczak v Kolodziejczak, 83 A.D.3d 1377, 1379 [2011]; see
Courts of this state "have consistently refused to recognize a common-law cause of action against providers of alcoholic beverages in favor of persons injured as a result of their own voluntary intoxication" (Sheehy v Big Flats Community Day, 73 N.Y.2d 629, 636 [1989]; see e.g. Kudisch v Grumpy Jack's, Inc., 112 A.D.3d 788, 789 [2013]; Van Neil v Hopper, 167 A.D.2d 954, 955 [1990], lv denied 77 N.Y.2d 804 [1991]), and there is no dispute "that the mere infancy of [an] injured person does not constitute an exception to that voluntary intoxication rule" (Searley v Wegmans Food Mkts., Inc., 24 A.D.3d 1202, 1202 [2005]). The question now before us, however, involves not the provision of alcohol, but the supervision of a voluntarily intoxicated person at a large party involving a dangerous combination of large quantities of alcohol and underage drinking.
O'Neill v Ithaca Coll. (56 A.D.3d 869 [2008]) is instructive here. That case arose from the fall of the underage plaintiff from the balcony of an apartment during a small party. The plaintiffs commenced an action alleging that the defendant (college) was "liable for [the underage plaintiff's] injuries because, among other things, the balcony and its railings were unsafe and negligently designed" (id. at 869). The college subsequently commenced a third-party action seeking contribution against, inter alia, the five students who shared the subject apartment. Two of those students moved for summary judgment dismissing the third-party complaint against them, and the Third Department rejected the college's contention that the moving students were "potentially liable because they breached a duty owed to both [the] defendant and [the underage] plaintiff to control or supervise the activities of guests at their party" (id. at 871). In doing so, however, the Third Department acknowledged that circumstances such as those at issue in the instant case could give rise to such a duty; to wit, that Court wrote in relevant part that,
In this case, plaintiff, who had reached the age of majority, but who was still a minor in the eyes of the law for the purpose of purchasing alcohol (see Alcoholic Beverage Control Law § 65 [1]), exhibited telltale signs of intoxication at a large party to which he and others were permitted to bring their own alcohol, at which no effort was made to exclude underage drinkers, and during which the hosts exhibited neither care nor concern for any intoxicated partygoer. Consequently, in my view, the resident defendants assumed a duty to supervise guests at the party, including plaintiff, through their control and possession of the house, as well as their presence at the house during at least part of that large, untamed affair.
Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons, I respectfully disagree with the majority that the court erred in denying the motions and cross motions of the resident defendants seeking summary judgment dismissing the fourth cause of action, for negligent supervision, against them.
FAHEY, J., dissents in part and votes to modify in a separate opinion.
Now, upon reading and filing the stipulation discontinuing the appeal insofar as it concerns defendant Philip J. Schneider, Jr. signed by the attorneys for plaintiffs and Schneider on May 31, 2013, and upon the partial stipulation of discontinuance of plaintiffs' action against defendant Jonathan M. Henty signed by the attorneys for plaintiffs and Henty on December 10 and 12, 2013 and filed in the Monroe County Clerk's Office on December 18, 2013,