In New York City an abutting landowner is liable for defects to a City sidewalk even if it had no control over the defect. As general liability counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, MH & S we work to minimize the unfairness of this rule, case by case.
Representative case: Geary v. Church of St. Thomas Aquinas, 98 A.D.3d 646 (2nd Dept. 2012).