Opinion ID: 2972622
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Consumer Expectation Standard

Text: For products designed prior to January 27, 1997, the existence of a product defect may be inferred by demonstrating that the product “is more dangerous than an ordinary consumer would expect when using it in an intended and reasonably foreseeable manner” (the “consumer-expectation standard”). See O.R.C. 2307.75(A) (2)(revoked); Atkins v. General Motors Corp., 132 Ohio App.3d 556 (1999). Plaintiffs contend the consumer-expectation standard is applicable in this case; the district court held otherwise. Under the consumer-expectation test, a product may be proven to be in a defective condition if: (1) it is more dangerous than an ordinary consumer would expect when used in an intended or reasonably foreseeable manner, (2) the claimed defect was present when the product left the manufacturer, and (3) the claimed defect proximately caused the claimed injuries. Leichtamer v. American Motors Corp., 67 Ohio St.2d 456, 494 (1981). In this case, we have already concluded 22 that Bauer is not the manufacturer of the head protection system and that proximate cause for the injuries to Mohney has been rebutted. Accordingly, we hold that the district court did not err in failing to apply the consumer expectation standard in this case.