Opinion ID: 1219560
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Post-manufacture design changes.

Text: To comply with federal standards promulgated in 1982, Enterprise changed the design of its baler to include an interlocking safety guard. NRS 48.095 provides that subsequent remedial measures are not admissible to prove negligence or culpable conduct. Therefore, the court below excluded evidence of these design changes. However, this court had previously adopted the rule that such measures are admissible in strict liability actions. Jeep Corporation v. Murray, 101 Nev. 640, 708 P.2d 297 (1985). In Jeep, the manufacturer sent warning stickers advising consumers that their vehicles lacked adequate occupant protection in the tops and doors. We concluded that the public policy reason to exclude such evidence in negligence actions does not apply in strict liability cases. Id. at 647, 708 P.2d at 302. A producer will not forego making improvements if failing to do so will subject it to additional lawsuits. Therefore, the better rule is to admit post-accident remedial measures, and let the jury decide if the manufacturer should have known how to correct the defect at the time it built the product.