In Riley v. City of New York , Ronald Riley was injured when he tripped over a slightly elevated cellar door.
Riley had traveled over that same sidewalk on a daily basis and the incident occurred in broad daylight.
The Bronx County Supreme Court dismissed the case because it found the elevated door was a "trivial defect," which wasn't actionable.
On appeal, the Appellate Division, First Department, agreed since the area in question wasn't a "trap or nuisance."
Three guesses who got real riled up over that.
For a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use this link: Riley v. City of New York