While at work, Detective Anderson Alexander fell off a chair and accidentally shot himself in the knee, and later sued claiming he had been given a defective piece of furniture to use.
After a jury awarded the guy $5,000,000, the City sought to set-aside the outcome and appealed when the Kings County Supreme Court denied that request.
In order to support his case, the Detective needed to show that his injury was the result of the City's willful or negligent failure to comply with a statute, ordinance, rule, or government order.
Since a "rational person" wouldn't have reached the same outcome as the jury did in this case--particularly since the Detective never testified that any part of the chair was defective or broken, and no one ever complained about that particular piece of furniture--the Appellate Division, Second Department, reversed and found in the City's favor.
Although another officer at the same station had fallen out of a chair, there was no evidence that Alexander's chair was of the same type involved in that earlier incident.
"I know you are, but what am I?"
To view a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use this link: Alexander v. City of New York