Today's column focuses on a single Court of Appeals ruling—Bazdaric v. Almah Partners 2024 NY Slip Op 00847 [Ct App Feb. 20, 2024]—and the two issues that were presented in that case. One issue, which split the First Department panel 3 to 2, concerned the "integral to the work" defense. The defense is far from new, and essentially posits that owners and contractors cannot be blamed for a regulatory violation when the nature or objectives of the work made compliance impossible. For example, even if a regulation requires that holes which are potential falling hazards must be covered, it is obviously not feasible to cover such a hole while it is being filled with concrete.