A class action lawsuit claiming a product defect is used to recover damages for a large group of people harmed by the product. When receiving notice of a class action that may involve a product in one or more of your cases, you do have some decisions to make. If you have concerns that the...
Earlier this month ABC news aired a special on what was characterized as an unusually large number of BMW fires across the country while the vehicles were turned off for hours if not days. ABC reported that they investigated over 40 parked car fires across the country over a five year span. Since ABC reported...
The Connecticut Supreme Court, in Bifolck v. Philip Morris, Inc., recently made what the Court termed “modest refinements” to Connecticut’s product liability law. Case No. SC 19310 (Conn. Dec. 29, 2016). To recover under Connecticut’s Product Liability Act, a plaintiff alleging a product was defectively designed, defectively manufactured, or defective for a failure to warn...
In a recent decision issued by the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, Garden City Apartments, LLC v. Xcel Plumbing of New York, Inc. et al., No. 15-cv-1380 Document 84 (E.D.N.Y. 2017), the Court emphasized that a common waiver of subrogation clause does not afford protection against claims for property damage generally,...
The Sixth Circuit recently held that it would not apply Kentucky’s economic loss doctrine to consumer purchases, and consumers are free to pursue tort claims against manufacturers even when damage occurs only to a product itself. The Sixth Circuit was sitting in diversity and ruled in State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Norcold, Inc.,...
From the moment plumbing went indoors, there was the potential for water damage to buildings from faulty plumbing. And, the addition of appliances only increased the potential. But, what about the connection between the indoor plumbing and the appliance? The water pipes in a structure have to connect somehow to appliances that use water, like...
On January 23, 2017, Samsung announced that poorly designed and manufactured batteries are to blame for the fires associated with its Galaxy Note 7 phones. The announcement comes after months of investigation by Samsung and three independent industry organizations. The investigation revealed problems with both the batteries that were originally used in the phone during...
There are many impediments to a successful investigation of a product liability claim – age of the product, preservation of evidence, chain of custody of the evidence, installation markings, etc. This article will discuss situations where there is a lack of identifying information on the product. Products Lacking Manufacturer Identification Picture the scenario where the insured...
Since recently departing from the economic loss rule, Washington courts have continued to expand the scope and applicability of the independent duty doctrine in a variety of circumstances. A recent appellate case, The Point at Westport Harbor Homeowners’ Association v. Engineers Northwest, Inc.,[1] further enlarges the doctrine to include scenarios where no actual property damage...
The Right to Repair Act has reared its ugly head again. In Elliott Homes, Inc. v. Superior Court (Hicks) 2016 DJAR 11930, the Third Appellate District issued a writ of mandate ordering a stay of pending litigation until plaintiffs satisfied the pre-litigation procedures mandated by the Right to Repair Act. Plaintiffs brought a construction defect...
