Sullivan v. B & A Construction, Inc.

120 N.E.2d 694 (1954)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
S
From our private database of 46,200+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Sullivan v. B & A Construction, Inc.

New York Court of Appeals
120 N.E.2d 694 (1954)

Facts

Edward Sullivan (plaintiff) worked as a painter. In March of 1948, Sullivan injured his right knee while working for B & A Construction, Inc. (B & A) (defendant). In June of 1949, Sullivan injured his right knee again while working for A. L. Turner. As a result of the injuries, Sullivan experienced a locking sensation in his knee that left him unable to control his right leg. Sullivan sought and obtained workers’-compensation benefits for the knee injuries. Sullivan’s knee injuries also affected his ability to drive a car because Sullivan’s knee frequently locked when Sullivan tried to press on the brake. Sullivan continued to drive despite this concern, and he did not equip his car with a hand brake or left-foot brake. In June of 1950, Sullivan was driving on a personal errand at a relatively high speed when he lost control of his car. Sullivan tried to brake but was unable to do so because his knee locked. Sullivan’s car crashed into a tree, and he was injured. Sullivan sought to recover workers’-compensation benefits on the theory that the injuries from the car accident directly and naturally flowed from his previous compensable knee injuries. The Workmen’s Compensation Board awarded Sullivan benefits, and the New York Appellate Division affirmed the award. B & A appealed to the New York Court of Appeals.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Fuld, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 790,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 790,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 790,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,200 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Workers' Compensation

Key Terms

Related Videos