Testimony by the Vehicle Owner that His Vehicle Was “Missing” at the Time of the Accident Did Not Overcome the Statutory Presumption the Vehicle Was Being Driven with the Owner’s Consent at the Time of the Accident

The Second Department determined the evidence at a framed issue hearing was insufficient to overcome the statutory presumption that Woodley’s vehicle was being driven with the owner’s consent at the time of the accident.  The driver of the Woodley vehicle at the time of the accident was not known.  Woodley testified only that the vehicle was “missing” at the time of the accident.  Woodley also testified that only he and his wife had keys to the vehicle and the keys were found in the vehicle after the accident:

Vehicle and Traffic Law § 388 creates a strong presumption that the driver of a vehicle is operating it with the owner’s consent, which can only be rebutted by substantial evidence demonstrating that the vehicle was not operated with the owner’s permission … . “The uncontradicted testimony of a vehicle owner that the vehicle was operated without his or her permission, does not, by itself, overcome the presumption of permissive use” … .

Although evidence that a vehicle was stolen at the time of the accident may overcome the presumption of permissive use …, under the particular circumstances present here, the vehicle owner’s testimony that the vehicle was missing at the time of the accident, without more, was insufficient to overcome the presumption. Matter of State Farm Ins Co v Kathleen Walker-Pinckney, 2014 NY Slip Op 04018, 2nd Dept 6-4-14