As he was removing gutters from James O'Connor's house, Ronald Dougherty was attacked by a swarm of bees, fell off a ladder, and was injured. When he later filed a personal-injury case, the Suffolk County Supreme Court sided with the homeowner and dismissed the suit.
Since the house was a single-family dwelling, and O'Connor didn't control Dougherty's work, the Appellate Division, Second Department, thought New York State's labor laws didn't apply. It also didn't think much of Dougherty's common-law negligence claim either, because the owner neither created nor was aware of any dangerous condition.
And that's the buzz.
To view a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use this link: Dougherty v. O'Connor