diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/classifier/FalsingDataProvider.java b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/classifier/FalsingDataProvider.java
index 2e60a65c3bd10..2f688dd9d2470 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/classifier/FalsingDataProvider.java
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/src/com/android/systemui/classifier/FalsingDataProvider.java
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ public class FalsingDataProvider {
 
     private TimeLimitedMotionEventBuffer mRecentMotionEvents =
             new TimeLimitedMotionEventBuffer(MOTION_EVENT_AGE_MS);
-    private List<MotionEvent> mPriorMotionEvents;
+    private List<MotionEvent> mPriorMotionEvents = new ArrayList<>();
 
     private boolean mDirty = true;
 
diff --git a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/classifier/FalsingDataProviderTest.java b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/classifier/FalsingDataProviderTest.java
index 42387bcf9adc6..1fe694e97bcfa 100644
--- a/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/classifier/FalsingDataProviderTest.java
+++ b/packages/SystemUI/tests/src/com/android/systemui/classifier/FalsingDataProviderTest.java
@@ -290,4 +290,11 @@ public class FalsingDataProviderTest extends ClassifierTest {
         mDataProvider.onMotionEvent(appendDownEvent(0, 200));
         verify(listener).onGestureFinalized(100);
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void test_GetPriorEventsEarly() {
+        // Ensure that if we ask for prior events before any events were added, we at least get
+        // an empty array.
+        assertThat(mDataProvider.getPriorMotionEvents()).isNotNull();
+    }
 }