Big Apple Maps were produced borough by borough and filed with the City so that injury lawyers could point to a marked symbol as written notice of a defect under § 7-201(c)(2). Each symbol type represented a condition such as a raised flag, hole, or obstruction, and courts scrutinized whether the mark matched the accident location. Since the 2003 liability shift moved most sidewalk claims to private owners, the maps matter mainly in cases still brought against the City, such as those involving exempt small homes. They remain a fixture in older case law and ongoing municipal litigation.
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