Rodriguez v Duffy

Holding The court affirmed summary judgment for the plaintiff, holding that a rear-end collision establishes a prima facie case of negligence that the defendant failed to rebut. The defendant’s claim that a sudden stop by the lead vehicle caused the accident was insufficient to raise a triable issue of fact given the foreseeable traffic conditions.

The court’s words

a rear-end collision establishes a prima facie case of negligence on the part of the operator of the rear vehicle

2026 NY Slip Op 05820, at the official text

vehicle stops which are foreseeable under the prevailing traffic conditions, even if sudden and frequent, must be anticipated by the driver who follows

2026 NY Slip Op 05820, at the official text

the defendant's assertion that it was the sudden stop of the lead vehicle which caused the accident was insufficient

2026 NY Slip Op 05820, at the official text

the plaintiff established his prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law on the issue of liability

2026 NY Slip Op 05820, at the official text