Skip to Main Content

Products liability by Tiffany Funk: Defenses

Exploring Key Theories of Products Liability: Design Defect, Manufacturing Defect, Failure to Warn, and Warranties

Defenses

Contributory Negligence

Reed v. Carlyle & Martin, Inc., 214 Va. 592 (Va.1974)

McGoawn v. Int'l Harvestor Co., 463 Pa. 13 (Pa.1975)

Madonna v. Harley Davidson, Inc., 708 A.2d 507 (Pa.Super.1998)

Comparative Fault

Smith v. Louis Berkman Co., 894 F. Supp. 1084 (W.D.Ky.1995)

Caterpillar, Inc. v. Brock, 915 S.W.2d 751 (Ky.1996)

Daly v. GM, 144 Cal.Rptr. 380 (Cal.1978)

GM v. Sanchez, 997 S.W.2d 584 (Tex.1999)

Coutler v. American Bakeries Co., 530 So.2d 1009 (Fla.App. 1 Dist.1988) 

Assumption of Risk

Moran v. Raymond Corp., 484 F.2d 1008 (7th Cir.1973) 

Bowen v. Cochran, 252 Ga.App. 457 (Ga.App.2001)

Johnson v. Clark Equipment Co., 274 Or. 403 (Or.1976)

Obvious Dangers

Campo v. Scofield, 301 N.Y. 468 (N.Y.1950) 

Micallef v. Miehle Co., 39 N.Y.S.2d 376 (N.Y.1976)

Belling v. Haugh's Pools, Ltd., 126 A.D.2d 958 (N.Y.A.D. 4 Dept.1987)

Inherent Dangers

Bruner v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc., 153 F.Supp.2d 1358 (S.D.Fla.2001)

McMahon v. Bunn-O-Matic Corp., 150 F.3d 651 (7th Cir.1998)

Hearn v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 279 F.Supp.2d 1096 (D.Ariz.2003)

Parish v. Jumpking, Inc., 719 N.W.2d 540 (Iowa 2006)

Misuse

Venezia v. Miller Brewing Co., 626 F.2d 188 (1st Cir.1980)

Ellsworth v. Sherre Lingerie, Inc., 303 Md. 581 (Md.1985)

Morgan v. Faberge, Inc., 273 Md. 538 (Md.1975)

Product Alteration or Modification

Wheeler v. Andrew Jergens Co., 696 S.W.2d 326 (Ky.Ct.App.1985)

Deterioration

Savage v. Jacobsen Manufacturing Co., 396 So.2d 731 (Fla.App. 2 Dist.1981)

Disposal and Destruction

High v. Westinghouse Elec. Corp., 610 So.2d 1259 (Fla.1992) 

State of the Art

Durable Products

Pontifex v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 226 F.2d 909 (4th Cir.1955)

Bruce v. Martin-Marietta Corp., 544 F.2d 442 (10th Cir.1976)

Boatland of Houston, Inc. v. Bailey, 609 S.W.2d 743 (Tex.1980)

Toxic Substances

Beshada v. Johns-Manville Prod. Corp., 90 N.J. 191 (N.J.1982)

Feldman v. Lederle Laboratories, 97 N.J. 429 (N.J.1984)

Anderson v. Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp., 281 Cal.Rptr. 528 (Cal.1991)

Post-Sale Duties

Ostendorf v. Clark Equip. Co., 122 S.W.3d 530 (Ky.2003)

Statutory Repose

Zamboni v. Aladan Corp., 304 F.Supp.2d 218 (D.Mass.2004)

Sophisticated User

Higgins v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., 863 F.2d 1162 (4th Cir. 1988)

  • Court found NO duty to warn
  • Court held, that in faliure to warn cases, whether asserted on negligence or strict liability grounds,  there is but one unitary theory of liability which is negligence based- the duty to use reasonable care in promulgating a warning
  • There is no duty on product suppliers to warn employees of knowledgeable industrial purchasers as to product-related hazards

Search the Library to locate books, e-books, videos, articles, journals...
Search For

Other Search Options