KAMARA v. FITNESS INTERNATIONAL LLC (2023)

Order, Supreme Court, Bronx County (Laura G. Douglas, J.), entered on or about August 30, 2022, which granted plaintiff Aminu Kamara's motion for partial summary judgment on the issue of liability under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur, unanimously reversed, on the facts, and the motion denied, without costs.

In this action, plaintiff was injured while exercising on a cable row exercise machine when the handle disconnected from the machine.  There are issues of fact as to the element of exclusive control (see Barney–Yeboah v. Metro–North Commuter R.R., 25 N.Y.3d 945, 6 N.Y.S.3d 549, 29 N.E.3d 896 [2015];  Tora v. GVP AG, 31 A.D.3d 341, 342, 819 N.Y.S.2d 730 [1st Dept. 2006];  see also Morejon v. Rais Constr. Co., 7 N.Y.3d 203, 818 N.Y.S.2d 792, 851 N.E.2d 1143 [2006]).  It is not sufficiently established as a matter of law that the handle and its attachments were exclusively within the defendants’ control (see Dermatossian v. New York City Tr. Auth., 67 N.Y.2d 219, 228, 501 N.Y.S.2d 784, 492 N.E.2d 1200 [1986];  Pavon v. Rudin, 254 A.D.2d 143, 146, 679 N.Y.S.2d 27 [1st Dept. 1998]).