Opinion ID: 2046018
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Applicable lawdesign defect.

Text: We have adopted section 402A of the Restatement (Second) of Torts (1965) regarding strict liability claims. See Leaf v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 590 N.W.2d 525, 528 (Iowa 1999). Section 402A provides in relevant part: (1) [o]ne who sells any product in a defective condition unreasonably dangerous to the user or consumer or to his property is subject to liability for physical harm thereby caused to the ultimate user or consumer, or to his property, if (a) the seller is engaged in the business of selling such a product, and (b) it is expected to and does reach the user or consumer without substantial change in the condition in which it is sold. (2) The rule stated in Subsection (1) applies although (a) the seller has exercised all possible care in the preparation and sale of his product, and (b) the user or consumer has not bought the product from or entered into any contractual relation with the seller. Leaf, 590 N.W.2d at 528 (quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts § 402A, at 347-48 (1965)) (emphasis added). Under this rule, the seller is subject to liability to the user or consumer even though the seller has exercised all possible care in the preparation of the product. Aller v. Rodgers Mach. Mfg. Co., 268 N.W.2d 830, 834 (Iowa 1978). Thus, to prove a defective condition unreasonably dangerous, the plaintiff must show that the defect in the product was not one contemplated by the consumer, which would be unreasonably dangerous to the plaintiff in the normal and intended use of the product. [4] Id.; accord Fell, 457 N.W.2d at 916 (quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts § 402A cmt. i). The unreasonableness element of a strict liability claim is determined by balancing the utility of the product against the risk of its use. Fell, 457 N.W.2d at 918; Chown v. USM Corp., 297 N.W.2d 218, 220 (Iowa 1980). In analyzing whether the risks of the product outweigh its utility, the jury may consider the availability of a safer alternative design. Chown, 297 N.W.2d at 220-21. In other words, evidence of an alternative design is helpful to a plaintiff in proving that the design in question is unreasonably dangerous. Leaf, 590 N.W.2d at 535. Strict liability claims generally involve factual issues to be resolved by a jury or other trier of fact. Bredberg v. Pepsico, Inc., 551 N.W.2d 321, 326 (Iowa 1996). Proof that a product is unreasonably dangerous may be proven by circumstantial evidence. Fell, 457 N.W.2d at 918.