December 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 30

L AW R EV I EW

Premises Liability for a Fall
at an Ice Rink

The plaintiﬀ, a recreational ice skater
who had been taking ice skating lessons
at Wollman Rink in New York for several
years, fell on the ramp used to enter and
exit the rink.

By James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.
n the case of Samuelsen v Wollman Rink Operations LLC, 2020 NY Slip
Op 32702(U), 2020 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4643 (8/11/2020), the plaintiff alleged she sustained serious injuries as a result of a fall inside an
ice rink managed and operated by defendants Wollman Rink Operations LLC and The Trump Organization, Inc., doing business as Trump
Rink (collectively WRO/Trump).

I

Facts of the Case
Wollman Rink is an ice skating
rink located in Manhattan's Central Park in New York. It is open
to the public and managed and operated by defendant WRO. A 2001
licensing agreement between Wollman Rink Operations, LLC, and
the City of New York Department
of Parks and Recreation granted WRO a license to operate and
manage the rink. A 2010 amendment to the 2001 license agree28

Parks & Recreation

ment were both signed by Donald
J. Trump as president of Wollman
Rink Operations LLC. The 2010
amendment extended the license to
April 30, 2021.
On December 11, 2014, the plaintiff, a recreational ice skater who
had been taking ice skating lessons
at Wollman Rink for several years,
fell on the ramp used to enter and
exit the rink as she attempted to
leave the rink following one of her
lessons. She claims to have suffered

| D E C E M B E R 2 02 0 | PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G

traumatic brain injury and other injuries as a result of the fall.
The plaintiff commenced her
lawsuit on January 4, 2016, alleging
that the defendants were negligent
in failing to timely remove the ice
from the ramp, failing to install and
maintain matting on the ramp that
was suitable for outdoor use and
provided an even surface, and failing to provide a proper handrail near
the ramp. The plaintiff claimed that
at the point where the ramp meets
the ice there were lumps of ice and
uneven matting, which caused her
skates to become caught and her to
fall backwards and hit her head on
the ice. In response to the plaintiff 's
complaint, WRO/Trump raised assumption of the risk as an affirma-

December 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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