Ryan
v. New York Central R.R. Co.
Court
of Appeals of
35
N.Y. 210, 91 Am.Dec. 49.
Prosser,
pp. 290-291
Facts: The defendant negligently
caused a house to catch fire and the fire spread to the plaintiff’s house. The plaintiff sued. The trial court nonsuited the plaintiff. The plaintiff appealed to the appellate
court, which upheld the trial verdict.
The plaintiff then appealed to the Court of Appeals of
Issue: Is the owner of a burning
building liable to the owners of adjacent buildings?
Rule: Everyone is liable for the proximate
(immediate) results of their own acts.
Analysis: The court finds that the
proximate result of the defendant’s negligence was the destruction of their own
property and that the other damage was unexpected and remote.
Conclusion: The trial court’s verdict
was upheld.