Products Liability and Safety : Cases and Materials

by Owen, David G.; Montgomery, John E.; Davis, Mary J.

• ISBN13: 9781587782008
• ISBN10: 1587782006
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-07-14
• Publisher: West Academic

Summary

This law school casebook provides detailed information on the subject of products liability and safety includes prominent new cases included on such topics as warning, design, causation, federal preemption, and toxic substances. Daubert issues and the Restatement of Products Liability have been integrated throughout. Explanatory materials designed for law study accompany the cases.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Fourth Edition	v
Acknowledgments	vii
Table of Cases	xxxiii
An Introduction to Products Liability and Safety Law	1	(40)
The Social Problem of Dangerous Products	1	(11)
Final Report, National Commission on Product Safety	2	(6)
Notes	8	(1)
Final Report, National Commission on Product Safety	9	(3)
Notes	12	(1)
The Nature of Products Liability and Safety Law	12	(3)
Product Safety Law	12	(2)
Products Liability Law	14	(1)
Early Products Liability Law	15	(6)
Roman Law	15	(1)
J. Thomas, Textbook of Roman Law	15	(1)
Note	16	(1)
Justinian's Digest	16	(1)
Early English Law	16	(1)
Hamilton, The Ancient Maxim Caveat Emptor	17	(2)
Note	19	(1)
Early American Law	19	(2)
Note	21	(1)
Modern Products Liability Law	21	(20)
An Anatomy of Modern Products Liability Litigation	21	(1)
Interagency Task Force Study	21	(2)
Note	23	(1)
Insurance Industry Study	23	(1)
Notes	24	(1)
Department of Justice Study	24	(1)
Jury Verdict Research Study	25	(1)
Note	26	(1)
Winter, Jury Awards Soar as Lawsuits Decline on Defective Goods	26	(2)
Note	28	(1)
A Case Example	28	(1)
The Problem	28	(1)
Roberts, Circular Saw Design: A Hazard Analysis	28	(4)
Note	32	(1)
The Regulatory Response	33	(1)
Guarding of Portable Powered Tools	33	(1)
Note	33	(1)
Sticking Guards on Circular Saws Prompt Recall by Hitachi Koki USA	33	(1)
The Judicial Response	34	(1)
Cavanaugh v. Skil Corporation	34	(4)
Notes	38	(3)
PART I. Theories of Manufacturer Liability	41	(148)
Shapo, A Representational Theory of Consumer Protection: Doctrine, Function and Legal Liability for Product Disappointment	41	(2)
Negligence	43	(34)
The Privity Obstacle	43	(11)
D. Peck, Decision At Law	45	(5)
MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co	50	(3)
Notes	53	(1)
The Manufacturing Process: Fabrication and Quality Control	54	(11)
Jenkins v. General Motors Corp.	54	(3)
Notes	57	(2)
Posner, A Theory of Negligence	59	(1)
Notes	60	(1)
Ford Motor Co. v. Zahn	61	(2)
Notes	63	(2)
The Design Process: The Product Concept	65	(5)
Metzgar v. Playskool Inc.	65	(2)
Notes	67	(3)
The Marketing Process: Warnings and Instructions	70	(7)
Boyl v. California Chemical Co.	71	(4)
Notes	75	(2)
Tortious Misrepresentation	77	(17)
Fraud	77	(6)
St. Joseph Hospital v. Corbetta Construction Co.	77	(3)
Notes	80	(3)
Negligent Misrepresentation	83	(2)
Notes	84	(1)
Strict Liability for Misrepresentation	85	(9)
Baxter v. Ford Motor Co	85	(1)
Note	86	(1)
Restatement (Second) of Torts (1965)	87	(1)
Hauter v. Zogarts	87	(4)
Notes	91	(3)
Warranty	94	(61)
Express Warranty	94	(11)
Lane v. C.A. Swanson & Sons	94	(3)
Uniform Commercial Code	97	(1)
Notes	97	(2)
Stang v. Hertz Corp	99	(1)
Hauter v. Zogarts	100	(2)
Notes	102	(3)
Implied Warranty of Merchantability	105	(9)
Prosser, The Implied Warranty of Merchantable Quality	105	(2)
Uniform Commercial Code	107	(1)
Note	108	(1)
J. White & R. Summers, Uniform Commercial Code	108	(1)
Note	109	(1)
Maybank v. S.S. Kresge	110	(1)
Notes	111	(3)
Implied Warranty of Fitness for Particular Purpose	114	(4)
Uniform Commercial Code	114	(1)
Barb v. Wallace	114	(1)
Notes	115	(3)
Parties and Privity: Proper Defendants and Third Party Beneficiaries	118	(10)
Vertical Privity	118	(2)
Notes	120	(1)
Horizontal Privity	120	(1)
Uniform Commercial Code	121	(1)
Lukwinski v. Stone Container Corporation	122	(4)
Notes	126	(2)
Contractual Limitations on Responsibility	128	(27)
The Problem and Judicial Solution	128	(1)
Henningsen v. Bloomfield Motors, Inc.	128	(4)
Note	132	(1)
Disclaimers Under the UCC	132	(1)
Uniform Commercial Code	132	(1)
Notes	133	(1)
Dorman v. International Harvester Co	134	(4)
Notes	138	(3)
Limitations Under the UCC	141	(1)
Uniform Commercial Code	141	(1)
Note	141	(1)
McCarty v. E.J. Korvette, Inc	141	(4)
Notes	145	(1)
Ford Motor Co. v. Moulton	146	(3)
Notes	149	(1)
Statutory Reform	150	(1)
Rothschild, The Magnuson--Moss Warranty Act: Does It Balance Warrantor and Consumer Interests?	151	(2)
Notes	153	(2)
Strict Liability in Tort	155	(34)
Development	155	(22)
James, Products Liability (Pt. 2)	155	(1)
Note	155	(1)
Escola v. Coca Cola Bottling Co.	156	(2)
Note	158	(1)
Henningsen v. Bloomfield Motors, Inc	159	(1)
Greenman v. Yuba Power Products, Inc	159	(3)
Priest, The Invention of Enterprise Liability: A Critical History of the Intellectual Foundations of Modern Tort Law	162	(1)
Note	163	(1)
Restatement (Second) of Torts (1965)	163	(2)
Notes	165	(1)
Phipps v. General Motors Corp.	165	(5)
Notes	170	(1)
Denny v. Ford Motor Co	171	(1)
Notes	172	(5)
Rationales	177	(12)
The Moral Foundations of Products Liability Law	178	(1)
Note	179	(1)
Montgomery & Owen, Reflections on the Theory and Administration of Strict Tort Liability for Defective Products	179	(1)
Notes	180	(1)
Klemme, The Enterprise Liability Theory of Torts	181	(1)
Notes	182	(1)
M. Rahdert, Covering Accident Costs	182	(2)
Note	184	(1)
First National Bank v. Nor-Am Agricultural Products, Inc	185	(1)
Notes	185	(4)
PART II. The Concept of Defectiveness	189	(361)
Manufacturing Defects	191	(39)
Defect Tests	191	(4)
Magnuson v. Kelsey-Hayes Co.	191	(1)
Notes	192	(2)
The Morality of Strict Liability for Production Flaws	194	(1)
Proof---Generally	195	(13)
Pouncey v. Ford Motor Co	195	(4)
Notes	199	(2)
Ducko v. Chrysler Motors Corp	201	(3)
Notes	204	(4)
Proof---Expert Testimony	208	(11)
Expert Testimony and the Rule in Daubert	208	(2)
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals	210	(2)
Daubert's Progeny	212	(3)
Booth v. Black & Decker, Inc.	215	(2)
Rudd v. General Motors Corp.	217	(1)
Notes	218	(1)
Food and Drink	219	(11)
Jackson v. Nestle--Beich, Inc	219	(4)
Notes	223	(2)
Shoshone Coca-Cola Bottling Co. v. Dolinski	225	(1)
Notes	226	(4)
Design Defects	230	(79)
In General	231	(6)
Matthews v. Lawnlite Co.	231	(1)
McCormack v. Hankscraft Co.	232	(3)
Note	235	(1)
Design Safety and Theories of Liability	236	(1)
Note	237	(1)
Defect Tests	237	(45)
Consumer Expectations	238	(1)
R. Pound, Social Control Through Law	238	(1)
Corbin on Contracts	238	(1)
Note	239	(1)
Vincer v. Esther Williams All--Aluminum Swimming Pool Co.	239	(2)
Notes	241	(3)
Problems With the Consumer Expectations Test	244	(1)
Notes	245	(2)
Risk--Utility	247	(1)
Nichols v. Union Underwear Co.	248	(2)
Note	250	(1)
Sperry-New Holland v. Prestage	250	(3)
Notes	253	(1)
Design Defectiveness: The Risk-Utility Test	253	(3)
Notes	256	(5)
Alternative Tests	261	(1)
The Birth of ``Defective Condition Unreasonably Dangerous''	262	(2)
Notes	264	(1)
Cronin v. J.B.E. Olson Corp.	264	(1)
Notes	265	(3)
Barker v. Lull Engineering Co.	268	(2)
Notes	270	(1)
Soule v. General Motors Corp	271	(4)
Restatement (3d) of Torts: Products Liability § 2(b) (1998)	275	(1)
Notes	275	(3)
Potter v. Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company	278	(4)
Notes	282	(1)
Proof---Generally	282	(18)
Knitz v. Minster Machine Co.	282	(10)
Notes	292	(8)
Proof---Expert Testimony	300	(9)
Calhoun v. Yamaha Motor Corp.	301	(5)
Notes	306	(3)
Warning Defects	309	(51)
In General	311	(12)
Lewis v. Sea Ray Boats, Inc.	311	(5)
Notes	316	(7)
Defect Tests	323	(4)
Olson v. Prosoco, Inc.	323	(2)
Notes	325	(2)
Warning Methods	327	(14)
Meyerhoff v. Michelin Tire Corp	327	(5)
Notes	332	(9)
Delegation of Warning Obligation	341	(9)
Higgins v. E.I. Dupont de Nemours & Co.	341	(4)
Notes	345	(5)
Prescription Drugs	350	(10)
Notes	351	(9)
Regulating Defectiveness	360	(52)
Direct Agency Regulation	360	(21)
Southland Mower Co. v. Consumer Product Safety Commission	360	(11)
Notes	371	(10)
The Effect of Regulation on Private Litigation	381	(31)
Evidentiary Effect of Violation or Compliance	381	(2)
Preemption	383	(3)
Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc.	386	(8)
Notes	394	(2)
Geier v. American Honda Motor Company	396	(11)
Notes	407	(5)
Limiting Defectiveness: User Choice	412	(60)
The Limits of Law	412	(1)
Obvious Dangers	413	(15)
Campo v. Scofield	413	(1)
Micallef v. Miehle Co.	414	(3)
Notes	417	(1)
Belling v. Haugh's Pools, Ltd.	418	(1)
Notes	419	(3)
Laaperi v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.	422	(1)
Note	423	(5)
Generic Risks: Product Category Liability	428	(30)
Bruner v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc.	430	(1)
Fraust v. Swift & Co.	431	(1)
Notes	432	(1)
McMahon v. Bunn-O-Matic Corp.	433	(5)
Notes	438	(1)
O'Brien v. Muskin Corp	439	(3)
Notes	442	(1)
Henderson & Twerski, Closing the American Products Liability Frontier: The Rejection of Liability Without Defect	443	(2)
Note	445	(1)
Restatement (Third) of Torts: Products Liability §2	445	(1)
Note	446	(1)
Jordon v. K-Mart Corp	446	(1)
Notes	447	(1)
Hearn v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.	448	(8)
Bogus, War on the Common Law: The Struggle at the Center of Products Liability	456	(1)
Notes	457	(1)
Misuse	458	(14)
Venezia v. Miller Brewing Co	458	(3)
Ellsworth v. Sherne Lingerie, Inc.	461	(1)
Moran v. Faberge, Inc.	462	(4)
Notes	466	(6)
Limiting Defectiveness: Passage of Time	472	(78)
Deterioration	472	(4)
Savage v. Jacobsen Manufacturing Co	472	(1)
Notes	473	(3)
Disposal and Destruction	476	(7)
High v. Westinghouse Electric Corp	476	(5)
Notes	481	(2)
State of the Art	483	(41)
Durable Products	484	(1)
Pontifex v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.	484	(1)
Bruce v. Martin-Marietta Corp	484	(2)
Boatland of Houston, Inc. v. Bailey	486	(5)
Notes	491	(1)
Toxic Substances	491	(1)
Beshada v. Johns--Manville Prod. Corp.	491	(6)
Responsibility for Unforeseeable Product Risks	497	(2)
Notes	499	(1)
Feldman v. Lederle Laboratories	500	(5)
Notes	505	(2)
Anderson v. Owens--Corning Fiberglas Corp	507	(3)
Notes	510	(4)
Sternhagen v. Dow Company	514	(2)
Vassallo v. Baxter Healthcare Corp	516	(5)
Green v. Smith & Nephew AHP, Inc	521	(2)
Notes	523	(1)
Intergenerational Harm	524	(7)
Grover v. Eli Lilly & Co	524	(5)
Notes	529	(2)
Post-Sale Duties	531	(10)
Ostendorf v. Clark Equipment Company	531	(7)
Notes	538	(3)
Statutory Repose	541	(9)
Zamboni v. Aladan Corp.	541	(5)
Notes	546	(4)
PART III. Causation	550	(75)
Cause in Fact	551	(34)
General Principles	551	(2)
Tests of Cause-in-Fact: Of But--for and Substantial Factor	551	(1)
Notes	552	(1)
Proof of Causation	553	(19)
Identifying the Defendant	553	(1)
Drayton v. Jiffee Chemical Corp	553	(3)
Notes	556	(3)
Sutowski v. Eli Lilly & Co	559	(4)
Notes	563	(1)
Establishing Causation: Sufficiency of the Evidence	563	(1)
Henderson v. Sunbeam Corp	563	(2)
Calhoun v. Honda Motor Co	565	(5)
Notes	570	(2)
The Special Problem of Warnings and Reliance	572	(13)
Greiner v. Volkswagenwerk Aktiengesellschaft	573	(2)
Notes	575	(2)
Nissen Trampoline Co. v. Terre Haute First Nat'l Bank	577	(2)
Notes	579	(6)
Proximate Cause	585	(40)
Duty and Foreseeability Limitations on Liability	586	(10)
Crankshaw v. Piedmont Driving Club, Inc.	587	(1)
Notes	587	(2)
Winnett v. Winnett	589	(1)
Richelman v. Kewanee Machinery & Conveyor Co.	590	(1)
Notes	591	(5)
Intervening Causes	596	(29)
Dugan v. Sears, Roebuck & Co	596	(3)
Anderson v. Dreis & Krump Manufacturing Corp	599	(7)
Notes	606	(7)
Price v. Blaine Kern Artista, Inc.	613	(3)
Williams v. RCA Corp	616	(2)
In Re September 11 Litigation	618	(3)
Notes	621	(2)
Mini-Problems	623	(2)
PART IV. Defenses and Damages	625	(110)
Defenses Based on Plaintiff's Conduct	625	(43)
Contributory and Comparative Negligence	625	(23)
Reed v. Carlyle & Martin, Inc.	625	(2)
Parris v. M.A. Bruder & Sons, Inc.	627	(1)
Notes	628	(3)
McCown v. International Harvester Co.	631	(2)
Note	633	(1)
Madonna v. Harley Davidson, Inc	634	(1)
Notes	635	(1)
Daly v. General Motors Corp.	636	(6)
Notes	642	(1)
General Motors Corporation v. Sanchez	643	(2)
Coulter v. American Bakeries Co	645	(1)
Notes	646	(2)
Assumption of Risk	648	(16)
Moran v. Raymond Corp	648	(3)
Notes	651	(2)
Bowen v. Cochran	653	(2)
Notes	655	(2)
Johnson v. Clark Equipment Co.	657	(3)
Notes	660	(4)
Misuse	664	(4)
Note	665	(1)
Mini-Problems: Consumer Misconduct	666	(2)
Damages	668	(67)
Personal Injury and Death	668	(6)
Anderson v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.	668	(4)
Notes	672	(2)
Emotional Distress	674	(13)
Kroger Co. v. Beck	674	(2)
Notes	676	(2)
Khan v. Shiley Inc.	678	(4)
Notes	682	(1)
Pearsall v. Emhart Industries, Inc.	683	(2)
Notes	685	(2)
Economic Loss and Property Damage	687	(11)
Cooperative Power Assn. v. Westinghouse Electric Corp.	687	(4)
Casa Clara Condominium Ass'n, Inc. v. Charley Toppino & Sons, Inc.	691	(5)
Notes	696	(2)
Punitive Damages	698	(37)
Gryc v. Dayton-Hudson Corp.	698	(7)
Note	705	(2)
Acosta v. Honda Motor Co	707	(7)
Notes	714	(2)
Henley v. Philip Morris Inc.	716	(11)
Notes	727	(8)
PART V. Special Types of Defendants, Products, and Transactions	735	(126)
Special Types of Defendants	736	(78)
Retailers, Wholesalers, and Distributors	737	(6)
Zamora v. Mobil Corp.	737	(3)
Notes	740	(3)
Component Part Manufacturers	743	(8)
City of Franklin v. Badger Ford Truck Sales, Inc.	743	(1)
Lee v. Butcher Boy	744	(1)
Apperson v. E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co	745	(4)
Notes	749	(2)
The Federal Government	751	(7)
Berkovitz v. United States	751	(6)
Notes	757	(1)
Government Contractors	758	(7)
Kerstetter v. Pacific Scientific Co	758	(5)
Notes	763	(2)
Parent and Apparent Manufacturers	765	(10)
Fletcher v. Atex, Inc.	765	(8)
Notes	773	(2)
Certifiers and Endorsers	775	(3)
Hanberry v. Hearst Corp.	775	(2)
Notes	777	(1)
Successor Corporations	778	(5)
Guzman v. MRM/Elgin	778	(3)
Notes	781	(2)
Employers	783	(4)
Employers as Manufacturers: Product Safety in the Industrial Setting	783	(3)
Notes	786	(1)
Allocating Responsibility and Loss: Contribution and Indemnity	787	(27)
In General	787	(1)
Phillips, Contribution and Indemnity in Products Liability	788	(2)
Indemnity and Contribution	790	(1)
DiGregorio v. Champlain Valley Fruit Co	790	(2)
Notes	792	(2)
Promaulayko v. Johns Manville Sales Corp	794	(4)
Notes	798	(3)
Work-Related Injuries	801	(1)
Eaton, Revisiting the Intersection of Workers' Compensation and Product Liability: An Assessment of a Proposed Federal Solution to an Old Problem	801	(6)
Notes	807	(1)
Partial Settlements	808	(1)
Cartel Capital Corp. v. Fireco Of New Jersey	808	(3)
Notes	811	(3)
Special Types of Products and Transactions	814	(47)
Leases and Bailments	814	(8)
Samuel Friedland Family Enterprises v. Amoroso	814	(4)
Notes	818	(1)
Keen v. Dominick's Finer Foods, Inc.	818	(3)
Notes	821	(1)
Services	822	(12)
Cafazzo v. Central Medical Health Services, Inc.	822	(5)
Notes	827	(4)
Rossetti v. Busch Entertainment Corp	831	(2)
Notes	833	(1)
Used Products	834	(6)
Jordan v. Sunnyslope Appliance Propane & Plumbing Supplies Company	834	(5)
Notes	839	(1)
Real Estate	840	(6)
Menendez v. Paddock Pool Construction Co.	840	(4)
Notes	844	(2)
Miscellaneous ``Products''	846	(15)
Latham v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.	846	(2)
Note	848	(1)
Winter v. G.P. Putnam's Sons	849	(3)
Notes	852	(1)
Bryant v. Tri-County Electric Membership Corp	853	(5)
Notes	858	(3)
PART VI. Special Types of Litigation	861	(162)
Special Issues in Automotive Litigation	861	(61)
Crashworthiness	863	(26)
Burgos v. Lutz	864	(1)
Notes	865	(1)
Sumnicht v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc	866	(10)
Notes	876	(5)
Quintana-Ruiz v. Hyundai Motor Corp	881	(8)
Notes	889	(1)
Driver Fault	889	(10)
Lowe v. Estate Motors, Ltd	889	(9)
Notes	898	(1)
Punitive Damages	899	(14)
Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co	899	(9)
Owen, Problems in Assessing Punitive Damages Against Manufacturers of Defective Products	908	(3)
Notes	911	(2)
Recall	913	(9)
United States v. General Motors Corp	914	(4)
Mitchell, Ford: Faulty Capri Wipers Safer Than Recall Hazards	918	(1)
Notes	918	(4)
Special Issues in Toxic Substance and Mass Tort Litigation	922	(101)
The Nature of Toxic Substance Litigation	923	(11)
Hensler & Peterson, Understanding Mass Personal Injury Litigation: A Socio-Legal Analysis	924	(3)
Borel v. Fibreboard Paper Products Corp	927	(6)
Notes	933	(1)
Judicial Administration	934	(40)
Weinstein, Ethical Dilemmas in Mass Tort Litigation	934	(1)
Aggregation Devices in Mass Tort Litigation	934	(1)
Schwarzer et. al., Judicial Federalism: A Proposal to Amend the Multi-District Litigation Statute * * *	935	(2)
Notes	937	(3)
Class Actions---Certification	940	(2)
Castano v. American Tobacco Co.	942	(11)
Notes	953	(6)
Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor	959	(10)
Notes	969	(1)
Class Actions---Management	969	(1)
Cimino v. Raymark Industries, Inc.	970	(4)
Notes	974	(1)
Causation	974	(34)
General Causation---The Capacity of the Agent to Cause Plaintiff's Disease	975	(1)
Black & Lilienfeld, Epidemiologic Proof in Toxic Tort Litigation	976	(4)
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	980	(2)
Notes	982	(5)
Specific Causation---Whether Plaintiff's Disease Was Caused by the Agent	987	(1)
In Re Agent Orange Product Liability Litigation	987	(8)
Notes	995	(3)
Identifying the Party Responsible for the Agent	998	(1)
Smith v. Eli Lilly & Co.	998	(7)
Notes	1005	(3)
Damages, Apportionment, and Miscellany	1008	(15)
Norfolk & Western Railway v. Ayers	1008	(7)
Notes	1015	(8)
Index	1023