2009 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 12-30-2009 

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w . vi l l a nova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " B r uc e M ar t in v

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oo l s Inc " (2009). 2009 D e cisio n s . P ape r 24. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

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N Y G A A R D , C i r cui tJ udge.2

B eca us e ouropi ni on i s w hol l yw i t houtpr ece dent i al val ue, and bec aus e the part i es and the D i s t r i ctC our tar e fa m i l i arw i t h i t s oper at i ve fa ct s , w e off eronl yan abbr evi at ed re c itatio n to e x p lain w h yw e w ill a f f irm th e o rd e r o f

th e D istric t C o u rt. M ar t i n s us t ai ned s ever e i nj ur i es t o hi s l efthand w hi l e oper at i ng a s aw athi s pl ace of empl oym ent . T he s aw w as atl eas tfi ftyy ear s ol d and had be en s ol d byt he or i gi nal buy ert o t he pr evi ous ow nerof the companyt hatempl oy ed M ar t i n. T he s aw di d nothave a sa f e tyg u a rd o n th e b lad e . M a rtin c laim s th a t th e c o n d iti o n o f th e sa w c a u se d h is i nj ur i es , m aki ng Pow erm at i c C orpor at i on s t r i ct l yl i abl e, negl i gentforfai l ur e t o w arn, or i n b r e a c h o f

a n e x p r e s s w a r r a n t y o ri m p l i e d w a r r a n t y o f m e r c h a n t a b i l i t y. G ener al l y , t he s al e ort r ans ferof as s et s fr om one companyt o anotheri s nota l egal b a s is f o r a s s e rt in g s u c c e s s o r l ia b ility a g a in s t th e p u rc h a s e r f o r t h e to rt s o f

th e tr a n s f

e ro r. P ol i us v. C l ark Equi

pm ent C o. , 8 0 2 F . 2 d 7 5 , 7 7 (3d C ir . 1 9 8 6 ). T h e D istri ct C o u rt corr ect l yconcl uded thatow ner s hi p of the as s et s of the Pow erm at i c D i vi s i on w as tra n sf e rre d to JE T E q u ip m e n t an d T o o ls, In c . thr o u g h a n a ss e t p u rc h a se a g re e m e n t w ith D eV l i eg- B ul l ar d, I nc. , dur i ng t he t i m e thatD eV l i eg- B ul l i ar d w as i n t he mi ds tof reo rga n izati o n u n d er C h ap ter 11 o f th e B an k rup tcyC o d e. M o reo v er, w e a g ree that there is n o re c o rd e v id e n c e th a t P o w e rm a tic f e ll w ith in a n yo f

th e e x c e p tio n s to th e g e n e ra l ru le of s ucce s s ornonl i abi l i t yt hatw e des cr i be i n P ol i us . T he as s etpur chas e agr eement expr es s l ydi s cl ai m ed al l pr oductl i abi l i t ycl ai m s agai ns tt he Pow erm at i c D i vi s i on of3

D e V l i e g - B u i l l a r d , I n c . , f o rp r o d u c t s s o l d b e f

o r e t h e c l o s i n g d a t e o f

t h e a g r e e m e n t . We al s o agr ee thatt he evi dence does nots uppor ta de f act o m er gerfi ndi ng. W ith resp ec t t o the im p li ed w arran tyclaim s, M arti n esse n ti all ych all en g es JE T ’s arg u m en t bef

o re the D istri ct C o u rtthat an im p li ed w arran tyclaim ca n n o t be ra ised w h ere s t r i ctl i abi l i t yi s notact i onabl e. H ow ever , t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s deci s i on w as notbas ed upon t hi s l egal ar gum ent . I ns t ead, t he D i s t r i ctC our tdi s m i s s ed thi s cl ai m on t he bas i s t hat i m pl i ed w arr ant i es w er e expr es s l yand cons pi cuous l yexcl uded i n t he oper at i ng in s tru c tio n s m a n u a l o f

th e m a c h in e in q u e s tio n . M a rt in ’s a p p e a l d o e s n o t d is p u te th is . F o r t h is re a s o n , w e m u s t c o n c lu d e th a t th e D is tr ic t C o u rt p ro p e rl yd is m is s e d th is c la im .