Products liability by Tiffany Funk: Negligence

Privity of Contract

Winterbottom v. Wright, 1842 WL 5519 (Ex Ct 1842)

Privity Obstacle

MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co., 217 N.Y. 382 (N.Y.1916)

Manufacturing Process: Quality Control

Jenkins v. GM Corp., 446 F.2d 377 (5th Cir.1971) 

Ford Motor Co. v. Zahn, 265 F.2d 729 (8th Cir.1959)

Design Process: Product Concept

Metzgar v. Playskool, Inc., 30 F.3d 459 (3rd Cir.1994)

Marketing Process: Warning and Instructions

Boyl v. CA Chemical Co., 221 F.Supp. 669 (D.Or.1963)

Hand Formula [risk/utility analysis]

Mesman v. Crane Pro Services, 409 F.3d 846 (7th Cir.2005)

Cause in Fact ["But-for" and "Substantial Factor" Tests]

• "But-for" test: if plaintiff would not have been harmed but for a defect for which the defendant was responsible, the defendant may be said to have caused the harm
• "Substantial factor" test: asks whether the defendant's product was a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff's harm. This test evolved in cases of concurrent causation when it would be impossible to decide, based on the but-for test, which of the two defendants caused the harm
• RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS (2012), endorses a substantial factor test for causation
• RESTATEMENT (THIRD) OF TORTS: PRODUCTS LIABILITY (2012), employs the traditional "but-for" test as the primary basis for establishing cause-in-fact

Proving Causation

Drayton v. Jiffee Chemical Corp., 395 F.Supp. 1081 (N.D.Ohio 1975)

Sutowski v. Eli Lilly & Co., 82 Ohio St. 3d 347 (Ohio 1998)

Establishing Causation

Henderson v. Sunbeam Corp., 46 F.3d 1151 (10th Cir.1995)

Bitler v. A.O. Smith Corp., 391 F.3d 1114 (10th Cir.2004)

Special Problem of Warnings & Reliance

Green v. Volkswagen of America, Inc., 485 F.2d 430 (6th Cir.1973)  

Nissen Trampoline Co. v. Terre Haute First Nat'l Bank, 332 N.E.2d 820 (Ind.App. 1 Dist.1975) 

Proximate Cause ["Reasonable foreseeability"]

Duty and Foreseeability Limitations on Liability

Crankshaw v. Piedmont Driving Club, Inc., 115 Ga.App. 820 (Ga.App.1967)

Winnett v. Winnett, 57 Ill.2d 7 (Ill.1974)

Richelman v. Kewanee Machinery & Conveyor Co., 59 Ill.App.3d 578 (Ill.App. 5 Dist.1978)

Intervening Causes

Dungan v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 113 Ill.App.3d 740 (ill.App. 1 Dist.1983)

Anderson v. Dreis & Krump Mfg. Corp., 48 Wash.App 432 (Wash.App. Div. 3 1987)

Price v. Blaine Kern Artista, Inc., 111 Nev. 515 (Nev.1995)

Williams v. RCA Corp., 59 Ill.App.3d 229 (Ill.App. 1 Dist.1978)

In re September 11 Litigation, 280 F.Supp.2d 279 (S.D.N.Y.2003)