Callahan v. P.J. Carlin Construction Co.
This New York Supreme Court appellate decision concerns a worker's personal injury claim and subsequent indemnification dispute between third-party defendants S & A Concrete Co., Inc. and Hannibal Construction Co. The plaintiff worker sustained injuries from a fall on a construction site, leading to a $3,200,000 settlement paid by Hannibal's insurer. The trial focused on which third-party defendant was responsible for the faulty scaffold and thus required to indemnify the other, with the burden on S & A to prove Hannibal's negligence. The trial court granted Hannibal a directed verdict, finding S & A failed to present a prima facie case and was liable for indemnification, also denying S & A's motion to vacate the judgment. The appellate court unanimously affirmed the trial court's judgment and order, concluding S & A's arguments, including the use of OSHA citations, were without merit.