Torres v. LPE Land Development & Construction, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
Ordered that the order is affirmed insofar as appealed from, with costs.
The plaintiff, allegedly injured when he fell from a scaffold, sought to recover damages pursuant to Labor Law §§ 200, 240 (1) and § 241 (6) for the injuries he sustained in the accident against the owner of the property, LPE Land Development & Construction Inc., the general contractor, Trades Construction Services Corp. (hereinafter Trades), and subcontractor D & Sons Construction Corp. (hereinafter D & Sons). Trades cross-claimed against D & Sons for contractual and common-law indemnification.
D & Sons cross-moved, inter alia, for summary judgment dismissing the cross claims asserted against it by Trades on the grounds, inter alia, that it did not control the plaintiffs injury-producing activity and that Trades was not entitled to indemnification. Trades opposed the cross motion, alleging that questions of fact existed as to the extent of D & Sons’ control, and cross-moved for summary judgment on its cross claim for contractual indemnification against D & Sons. In a single order, the Supreme Court granted that branch of D & Sons’ cross motion which was for summary judgment dismissing Trades’ cross claims and denied Trades’ cross motion. We affirm the order insofar as appealed from.
To hold a subcontractor liable as a statutory agent for violations of Labor Law § 240 (1) or section 241 (6), there must be a showing that the party “had the authority to supervise and control the work giving rise to these duties” (Kehoe v Segal, 272 AD2d 583, 584 [2000]; see Russin v Louis N. Picciano & Son, 54 NY2d 311 [1981]). D & Sons established its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law with respect to Trades’ cross claim for common-law indemnification by establishing that it did not have authority to control the plaintiffs injury-producing work. In opposition, Trades failed to raise a triable issue of fact as to whether D & Sons had any authority over the plaintiffs work on the project, other than to provide an estimate, hire a
A party is entitled to contractual indemnification when the intention to indemnify is “clearly implied from the language and purposes of the entire agreement and the surrounding circumstances” (Canela v TLH 140 Perry St., LLC, 47 AD3d 743, 744 [2008]). Here, Trades failed to demonstrate the legitimacy of a purported agreement which was undated and did not specify the party to be indemnified, the work to be done, or the location of the work; nor did Trades demonstrate, from the surrounding circumstances, the existence of an ongoing relationship in which D & Sons had agreed to indemnify Trades. Since Trades failed to establish its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law in connection with its cross claim for contractual indemnification, the Supreme Court properly denied its cross motion for summary judgment on that cross claim. Moreover, since D & Sons established its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law on this issue, and Trades failed to raise a triable issue of fact in opposition, the Supreme Court properly granted that branch of D & Sons’ cross motion which was for summary judgment dismissing Trades’ cross claim for contractual indemnification.
Trades’ remaining contention is without merit. Skelos, J.P., Covello, Leventhal and Belen, JJ., concur.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.