Notable Wins

Client: Monroe Township Board of Education

Court: Office of Administrative Law

Trial Attorney:  Sanmathi (Sanu) Dev, Esq.

**Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances**

The Board filed a due process petition seeking to deny the parents’ request for an independent auditory evoked potential evaluation of a student diagnosed with autism. The parents, through counsel, requested the District conduct the test, at the District’s expense, even though the District never observed the student having any auditory issues in the thirty-two evaluations conducted of the student over a nine-year period. The ALJ ruled in the Board’s favor and denied the request and also determined that the parents’ request for the evaluation was unjustified and frivolous.

To view the case, please click here.

Client: Sebbie Corp

Court: New York Supreme Court, Kings County

Trial Attorney:  Stephen J. Alexander, Esq. ???

Brief Attorney:  Alyson L. Knipe, Esq. ???

**Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances**

Plaintiff sustained injuries while delivering water and juices to a bodega when he slipped and fell on a rubber mat inside the deli.  Summary judgment was granted to our client, Sebbie Corp by establishing as a matter of law that Sebbie did not owe plaintiff a duty of care because it was an out-of-possession landlord.

Client: Ridgewood Pl Condo, LLC ???

Court: New York Supreme Court, Kings County

Trial Attorney:  Stephen J. Alexander, Esq. ???

Brief Attorney:  Alyson L. Knipe, Esq. ???

**Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances**

Plaintiff sustained injuries to his finger while using an unguarded table saw. Summary judgment was awarded to our client, the general contractor, after it was established as a matter of law that Focal Point was no longer the general contractor of record at the time of the accident.

Client: DTV Alliance Tech 

Court: New York Supreme Court, Queens County

Trial Attorney:  Stephen J. Alexander, Esq. ???

Brief Attorney:  Alyson L. Knipe, Esq. ???

**Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances**

Plaintiff commenced action alleging personal injuries sustained during the installation of a satellite on the roof of his apartment building. Plaintiff, climbed a ladder located inside the apartment to access the roof and fell off the ladder. The complaint was dismissed as to our client, DTV Alliance Tech when we successfully argued that the DTV could not be found vicariously liable for accident as the installer was an independent contractor.

Client: Vas & Sons ???

Court: New York Supreme Court, Kings County 

Trial Attorney:  Stephen J. Alexander, Esq. ???

Brief Attorney:  Alyson L. Knipe, Esq. ???

**Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances**

We represented the third party subcontractor who was hired to build concrete steps in front of the building and to repair the construction fence that was damaged during Super Storm Sandy. Plaintiff alleged that he was hired to assist in the repair of the portion of the fence in the rear of the property and that he was carrying a piece of plywood when he fell off the foundation wall. Summary judgment dismissing the third party complaint was granted. On the contractual indemnification claim, the court agreed with our position that the contractual indemnification provision of the contract only applied to the masonry work on the front stairs and not the repair to the fence surrounding the perimeter of the work site. The court also granted dismissal of the common law indemnity claims stating that in order for common law indemnification to apply to an plaintiff’s employer, it must be shown that plaintiff suffered a grave injury and there was no evidence provided by Raz/PG of a grave injury. They also dismissed the breach of contract for failure to procure insurance claim since plaintiff’s accident was not connected to the work Vas & Sons was contracted to perform.

Client: AirBnb

Court: New York Supreme Court, County of Kings

Brief Attorney:  Alyson L. Knipe, Esq. on the brief and oral argument by Stephen J. Alexander, Esq.

**Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances**

Plaintiff commenced an action for personal injuries allegedly sustained as a result of a window slamming down on plaintiff’s hand while staying at an AirBnb accommodation booked through the AirBnb travel platform.

On May 18, 2020, Judge Ottley issued a decision granting summary judgment in favor of AirBnb. The court held that AirBnb did not owe plaintiff a duty of care. Additionally, the court found that the apartment listing on the AirBnb website for a fee does not meet the criteria of a “launching of a harm” under Espinal v. Melville Snow Contractors, Inc., 98 N.Y.2d 136 (2002). Lastly, the court further found that AirBnb lacked constructive notice of the window’s condition.

Client: LI Parking

Court: New York Supreme Court, County of Nassau

Trial Attorney:  Stephen J. Alexander, Esq.

Brief Attorney:  Alyson L. Knipe, Esq.

**Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances**

Plaintiff commenced an action for personal injuries allegedly sustained when she tripped and fell over a metal valet parking sign in a restaurant’s parking lot.

In the May 13, 2020 Judge Mahon granted summary judgment to defendant LI Parking.  Judge Mahon held that LI Parking did not launch a force or instrument of harm pursuant to Espinal v. Melville Snow Contractors, Inc., 98 N.Y.2d 136 (2002). The Court found that LI Parking established, prima facie, that it did not create or exacerbate a dangerous condition by its mere placement of the sign at the subject location.  At most, LI Parking furnished the occasion for the accident, but it was not sufficient to constitute the creation of an unreasonable risk of harm to others.

Client: GGB, LLC

Court: U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

Trial Attorney:  Ralph R. Smith, 3rd, Esq.

**Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances**

Plaintiff, a former employee of defendant, GGB, LLC (“GGB”), brought suit alleging violation of the FMLA and ADA.

Defendant, GGB, LLC, had a policy in place where employees must report absences and FMLA leave requests through a hotline maintained by a third party. Unexcused absences, per GGB policy, are assessed a point value per occurrence. All employees, including plaintiff, were made aware of this policy.  Once nine (9) points are accumulated, termination is mandatory. Plaintiff reached this maximum in October 2016 which resulted in his termination from GGB.  In his lawsuit, Plaintiff claimed that GGB was required to do more to accommodate his disability prior to utilizing its absenteeism policy to terminate his employment.

In advance of any trial, the court granted summary judgment on behalf of GGB, LLC finding (1) no interference or retaliation against plaintiff as to his FMLA allegations and (2) no disability discrimination, no failure to accommodate and no retaliation against plaintiff as to his ADA/NJLAD allegations. The Court determined that GGB validly applied its absenteeism policy to terminate Plaintiff’s employment without violating either the ADA or FMLA.

To read the opinion, please click here.

Client: E.G. Emil & Son, Inc.

Court: National Labor Relations Board

Trial Attorney:  Ralph R. Smith, 3rd, Esq.

**Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances**

A local union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board claiming our client, E.G. Emil & Son, Inc., did not engage in good faith negotiations over the effects of the client’s sale of its business and the termination of its operations.

Upon review, the National Labor Relations Board rejected the union’s claims and found in favor of E.G. Emil & Son, Inc.

Client: Durand, Inc.

Court: New Jersey Division of Civil Rights

Trial Attorney:  Ralph R. Smith, 3rd, Esq.

**Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances**

A charge of gender discrimination was filed against our client, Durand, Inc., by a former employee claiming this his discharge from employment resulted because he was male.

The New Jersey Division of Civil Rights investigated the claim. The Division determined that there was no probable cause to support the employee’s allegation and dismissed the claim in favor of Durand, Inc.

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