Dominguez v. Lafayette-Boynton Housing Corp.
Plaintiff Jose Dominguez was injured while working on a scaffold at a building in Bronx County, employed by Sun Construction, a subcontractor for general contractor Proto Construction, which was hired by building owner Lafayette-Boynton Housing Corporation. The accident occurred when Dominguez and a co-worker were maneuvering the scaffold, weighted with bricks and cement, around an air conditioning unit, causing it to swing back and smash into the unit, injuring Dominguez's wrist. Plaintiffs initiated a personal injury action, alleging Labor Law violations against Lafayette-Boynton and Proto. The IAS Court initially granted defendants' motions for summary judgment, dismissing the Labor Law § 240 (1) claim, asserting the accident was not a 'special hazard' contemplated by the law. However, the appellate court reversed, holding that the accident was indeed gravity-related and fell under the statute's protection, thus denying the defendants' dismissal motions and granting plaintiffs' cross-motion for summary judgment on their Labor Law § 240 (1) cause of action.