Early tort law was heavily weighted towards injuries that involved train accidents. Here in the New York City metropolitan region with its huge dependence on rail transport, the older typical nineteenth century tort claims and defenses continue for injuries caused by subways, commuter lines and train equipment.
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Ross Sandler, Center for New York City Law Director
The number of persons killed by contact with subway trains is truly alarming and, worse, consistent year to year. The victims include persons with severe mental problems and drug and alcohol addiction on the one hand, and, on the other hand, adventuresome youths who see romance and challenge in the subways’ dark tunnels, speedy trains and endless tracks. All the deaths are tragedies. (more…)

829 Remsen Avenue, owned by the Rada Corporation. Image Credit: Google Maps
Department of Buildings placed commercial building in program that forces the owner to immediately fix code violations. Rada Corporation is the owner of a commercial building located on Remsen Avenue in Brooklyn. In May 2016, the New York City Department of Buildings issued a violation against the property, noting brick and cracked mortar joints. Buildings determined that due to the severity of the violations, an immediate emergency declaration was warranted. After the owner of the building failed to fix code violations, Buildings hired a contractor to construct a sidewalk shed. (more…)

Dean Sage Mansion. Image Credit: CityLand
The owners of the Dean Sage Mansion in Crown Heights North Historic District sought to build addition to the 1870’s mansion. In the mid-nineteenth century the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn underwent suburban development of freestanding villas. Today, only a few of the Sturgis villas remain, one of which is the Dean Sage Mansion at 839 St. Mark’s Avenue, a rare High Gothic style mansion built in 1870 by architect Russell Sturgis. The Mansion, which gained additional wings in the 1930s, is one of only a few of Sturgis’s designs in New York today. (more…)

One Park Avenue. Image Credit: Google Maps
City Tax Appeals Tribunal determined transfer was not eligible for special reduced rate. One Park Avenue Mezz Partners LLC, a subsidiary of industry giant Vornado Realty Trust, held a 100 percent equity interest in a commercial building located at One Park Avenue in Manhattan. In March 2011, while looking to refinance the building, Vornado had that equity interest transferred in full to two new subsidiary real estate investment trusts. The compensation was roughly $5.6 million ($2.25 million in cash and $3.375 million in the form of ownership stakes in the grantee trusts). (more…)