FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THE POST
The Road Rage Incident
Mr. Connolly appeared in court as the plaintiff.
He was suing Mr. Hope.
The incident occurred in July 2015.
Mr. Connolly was riding his bicycle.
He was in a bicycle lane at the time.
He described the case as road rage.
Mr. Connolly was injured during the incident.
After the incident, Mr. Connolly hired a lawyer.
The lawyer was to sue Mr. Hope.
The legal process took a long time.
Eventually, the attorney withdrew from the case.
The attorney indicated there would be no money from the case.
Mr. Connolly then took over the case himself.
Mr. Hope did not hire a lawyer to sue Mr. Connolly.
Mr. Hope's Parked Car
Judge Judy questioned Mr. Hope about his car's position.
Mr. Hope stated his car was not stopped in the bike lane.
He said his car was stopped where other cars would be parked.
He clarified that a bike lane was adjacent to his parking spot.
Mr. Hope had stopped his car for about five minutes.
He had exited his car through the driver's door.
He was dropping something off with a friend.
Judge Judy asked if the driver's door protruded into the bike lane.
Mr. Hope responded that all cars opening a door on that street would open to a bike lane.
Judge Judy focused on his specific door.
The Initial Encounter
Mr. Hope got back into his car.
He opened his driver's door to do so.
Mr. Connolly was riding his bicycle in the bike lane.
He was approaching Mr. Hope's car.
Mr. Connolly claimed Mr. Hope looked at him.
He said Mr. Hope then opened his door.
This action forced Mr. Connolly to swerve into traffic.
Mr. Connolly stated he said "thank you" in a snide way.
He then continued on his way.
Mr. Hope had a different account of this exchange.
He claimed Mr. Connolly yelled an expletive.
Mr. Hope said Mr. Connolly told him to close his door.
Mr. Hope's Pursuit
Mr. Hope got into his car.
He closed the door.
He then decided to follow Mr. Connolly.
His stated reason was to "discuss the issue."
Mr. Hope felt Mr. Connolly's behavior was not responsible.
He believed it would negatively impact community efforts for bike paths.
Judge Judy questioned Mr. Hope's decision to pursue Mr. Connolly.
She used imagination and common sense to describe the scenario.
She noted Mr. Connolly had just cursed at Mr. Hope.
Mr. Hope then had to get into his car.
He had to close the door.
He would need to put on his seatbelt.
He would need to turn on his car.
He would need to put it in gear.
He would then pull out of the parking space.
Judge Judy pointed out that Mr. Connolly would already be down the block.
Mr. Connolly had not stopped after the initial exchange.
Judge Judy characterized Mr. Hope's pursuit as "tail ass after the bicyclist."
She highlighted the stated purpose of discussing bike lanes.
She found this reasoning absurd.
The Red Light Confrontation
Mr. Hope confirmed he got into his car.
He confirmed he put on his seatbelt.
He assumed the key was in the ignition or he put it in.
He started the car and put it in gear.
He then pulled out of the parking space.
Judge Judy stated Mr. Connolly was already down the block.
She said Mr. Connolly had just cursed Mr. Hope and kept moving.
Judge Judy concluded Mr. Hope was chasing Mr. Connolly.
They both stopped at a red light.
Mr. Connolly was in the bike lane.