Raja v. Big Geyser, Inc.
Yasir Raja sued Big Geyser, Inc., for personal injuries after being struck by a truck operated by Andre Cruz, an employee of Dynasty Distributors, Inc. Raja alleged that Cruz was an employee of Big Geyser, despite Cruz working for Dynasty, which had a distributor agreement with Big Geyser. Big Geyser moved for summary judgment, arguing Cruz was an independent contractor's employee and not directly employed by them. The Supreme Court granted Big Geyser's motion. On appeal, the Appellate Division affirmed, concluding that Big Geyser's incidental control over Dynasty's distribution was insufficient to establish an employer-employee relationship with Cruz, thus dismissing the complaint against Big Geyser.