Opinion ID: 6986505
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure-to-Warn Jury Instruction

Text: Plaintiff contends that the court improperly denied his requested jury instructions regarding the adequacy of Volvo’s warnings and instructions. Plaintiff asserts that because Ohio Rev.Code Ann. § 2307.76 and the applicable jury instructions, 2 Ohio Jury INSTRUCTIONS §§ 351.03, 351.11 (2000), permit a finding that a product is defective by reason of inadequate warning or instruction, the court failed to follow Ohio substantive law. Defendants contend, however, that plaintiff, withdrew the failure-to-warn defect claim at trial, failed to provide evidence that the warnings were inadequate, and failed to show causation between the inadequate warnings or instructions and plaintiffs use of the product. Defendants’ first argument is that plaintiff waived the failure-to-warn claim, while the remaining arguments essentially assert that plaintiff failed to establish the elements of a failure-to-warn claim. Accordingly, we address the plaintiffs alleged waiver and the requirements for a failure-to-warn claim pursuant to § 2307.76.
With respect to the defendants’ waiver argument, we find that plaintiff did not waive or abandon the properly pleaded failure-to-warn claim. Although plaintiff did not include the failure-to-warn instruction in his trial brief or proposed jury instructions, he requested this instruction at the close of evidence. The district court declined to provide plaintiffs proposed jury instruction, but found on the record that the jury instruction was “timely requested” and considered it on the merits. Despite defendants’ arguments of prejudice and abandonment, the court did not find that the claim had been waived in reaching the merits of the proposed instruction. Moreover, defendants cite no authority which indicates that plaintiff has waived this claim by failing to give notice in the trial brief. 4 Thus, we find that plaintiff did not waive his failure-to-warn jury instruction claim and that the claim is properly before this court.
Defendants contend that plaintiff failed to establish a failure-to-warn claim. The Ohio legislature has codified products liability law with respect to defects due to inadequate warnings or instructions. See Ohio Rev.Code ÁNN. § 2307.76(A)(1). In pertinent part, the Ohio statute provides that: (1) [A product] is defective due to inadequate warning or instruction at the time of marketing if, when it left the control of its manufacturer, both of the following applied: (a) The manufacturer knew or, in the exercise of reasonable care, should have known about a risk that is associated with the product and that allegedly caused harm for which the claimant seeks to recover compensatory damages; (b) The manufacturer failed to provide the warning or instruction that a manufacturer exercising reasonable care would have provided concerning that risk, in light of the likelihood that the product would cause harm of the type for which the claimant seeks to recover compensatory damages and in light of the likely seriousness of that harm. Ohio Rev.Code ANn. § 2307.76(A) (emphasis added). Ohio law for defective products follows the formulation in the Restatement (Seoond) of Torts § 402A cmt. j (1965). See Crislip v. TCH Liquidating Co., 52 Ohio St.3d 251, 556 N.E.2d 1177, 1180, 1182 (Ohio 1990). Under Ohio law, a plaintiff asserting a products liability “claim[ ] based on failure to provide adequate warnings not only must convince the fact finder that the warning provided is unreasonable, hence inadequate, but he also must establish the existence of proximate cause between the [product] and the fact of the plaintiffs injury.” Seley v. G.D. Searle Co., 67 Ohio St.2d 192, 423 N.E.2d 831, 838 (Ohio 1981) (applying products liability law to pharmaceutical drug). “In analyzing the proximate cause issue as it relates to failure-to-warn cases,” the Ohio Supreme Court “divided proximate causation ... into two sub-issues: (1) whether lack of adequate warnings contributed to the plaintiffs [use of the product], and (2) whether [use of the product] constitute^] a proximate cause of the plaintiffs injury.” Id. With respect to warnings and plaintiffs use of the product, the Ohio Supreme Court interprets the Restatement (Second) of ToRTS § 402A cmt. j to establish[] a presumption that an adequate warning, if given, will be read and heeded. In such a situation, the presumption established works to the benefit of the manufacturer. However, where no warning is given, or where an inadequate warning is given, a rebutta-ble presumption arises, beneficial to the plaintiff, that the failure to adequately warn was a proximate cause of the plaintiffs [use of the product]. This presumption, absent the production of rebutting evidence by the defendant, is sufficient to satisfy the first branch of the plaintiffs proximate cause burden. Id. at 838 (emphasis added). Thus, as here, when plaintiff alleges no warning or inadequate warning, Ohio law establishes a presumption, beneficial to the plaintiff and which the defendants must rebut, to establish proximate cause in the warning defect context. Plaintiffs proposed instruction essentially set forth the requirements under § 2307.76. See 2 Ohio JURY Instructions §§ 351.03, 351.11 (2000). The district court denied the instruction, finding that no evidence was produced to show that Li relied on the warnings, and insufficient evidence was produced at trial to support the claim. In the present case, the defendants did not present evidence that showed that Li did not read the warnings. Instead, the court relied on the fact that Zhang’s mother, Li, needed an interpreter to give her direct testimony to establish that Li did not rely on the warnings in the vehicle. We disagree with the court’s judgment. It is true that Ohio courts have found that when evidence shows that plaintiff failed to read instructions proximate cause is rebutted. See Phan v. Presrite Corp., 100 Ohio App.3d 195, 653 N.E.2d 708, 711 (Ohio Ct.App.1994) (“Even if the additional warnings ... were given, they would not have prevented the injuries because neither [plaintiff] read the warning.... ”). However, the Phan court was faced with direct evidence -that the plaintiff did not read the instructions. Under Ohio law, the presumption exists at the outset and accrues to the benefit of the plaintiff. See Freas v. Prater Const. Corp., 60 Ohio St.3d 6, 573 N.E.2d 27, 30-31 (Ohio 1991); Seley, 423 N.E.2d at 838. Thus, it is the defendants who must establish that proximate cause is deficient by rebutting the presumption that Li read and heeded the instructions. Defendants have failed to rebut the presumption. First, the defendants claim that the presumption was rebutted because there is no evidence that Li read the instructions or warnings. The lack of evidence that Li read or did not read the instructions, however, does not rebut the presumption, but rather establishes it in Li’s favor. Defendants ignore that they must rebut the presumption and that plaintiff is not required to present evidence establishing what is presumed unless such rebuttal evidence is presented. Moreover, Li’s reliance on an interpreter does not establish that she neither read nor heeded the instructions, especially since they were provided in both symbolic and written form. Second, the defendants claim that Li had knowledge of the proper location to place the child inside the vehicle. Li testified that she normally placed her child in the back seat. The defendants’ second reason, however, provides evidence that rebuts their first contention that Li neither read nor heeded Volvo’s instructions. Li’s testimony, which indicates that the instructions were heeded, is the only evidence that directly addresses the warnings. Given that the presumption accrues to the benefit of the plaintiff, the defendants have failed to rebut the presumption. Thus, the district court erred in declining to give the requested instructions on the basis that defendants rebutted the presumption establishing proximate cause. The district court also found that there was insufficient evidence for a jury to conclude that the provided warnings were inadequate. With respect to the sufficiency of the evidence, the defendants assert that the warnings given were adequate as a matter of law and, hence, the presumption was rebutted because plaintiff never established that the warnings were inadequate. See Seley, 423 N.E.2d at 838. We disagree with the court’s conclusion regarding the sufficiency of the evidence. Under Ohio law, a warning is adequate if it reasonably discloses all inherent risks, and if the product is safe when used as directed. Crislip, 556 N.E.2d at 1180-81; Seley, 423 N.E.2d at 838. However, “[a]n inadequate warning may make a product as unreasonably dangerous as no warning at all; there is no reason to preclude a plaintiff from pleading and proving strict liability just because some warning, however inadequate, accompanies a product.” Crislip, 556 N.E.2d at 1181. In Seley, the Ohio Supreme Court explained: The fact finder may find a warning to be unreasonable, hence inadequate, in its factual content, its expression of the facts, or the method or form in which it is conveyed. The adequacy of such warnings is measured not only by what is stated, but also by the manner in which it is stated. A reasonable warning not only conveys a fair indication of the nature of the dangers involved, but also warns with the degree of intensity demanded by the nature of the risk. A warning may be found to be unreasonable in that it was unduly delayed, reluctant in tone or lacking in a sense of urgency. A jury may find that a warning is inadequate and unreasonable even where the existence of “risk,” i.e., a causal relationship between use of the product and resulting injury, has not been definitely established. 423 N.E.2d at 837 (citations omitted) (emphasis added). Accordingly, there are several ways — such as lack of urgency or expression of facts — in which a warning can be defined as inadequate. In the present case, plaintiff clearly established sufficient evidence to support the instruction under § 2307.76(A). See Ohio Rev.Code Ann. § 2307.76(A)(1) (requiring that the “manufacturer fail[] to provide the warning or instruction that a manufacturer exercising reasonable care would have provided concerning that risk, in light of the likelihood that the product would cause harm of the type” for which recovery is sought). The parties stipulated that the airbag deployment caused the harm, Zhang’s injury and subsequent death. Most importantly, on cross-examination by plaintiffs counsel, Volvo’s lead designer, Bengt Shultz, who testified on behalf of the defendants, admitted that “Volvo didn’t need to test [airbags] for children” because “[Volvo] knew it would hurt children and adults if you were sitting up near it ... when it deployed.” Shultz also testified that Volvo knew that severe injuries could result to children and that front-seat passengers were often unrestrained. Further, Shultz’s testimony established that this known risk was not expressly stated in the instruction manual or vehicle warnings provided by Volvo. Thus, the evidence established that defendants knew of a risk that was associated with their product, specifically the risk to the safety of unrestrained small adults and children when the airbag deploys. Given the breadth of factual findings that would allow a jury to find that a warning is inadequate, plaintiff established a genuine issue of fact on the adequacy of the warnings actually given. Although Volvo repeatedly established that the vehicle contained a door warning sticker, owner’s manual warnings, and even a videotape provided to new Volvo 850 owners which contained a warning concerning the proper placement of children in the vehicle, the testimony of Volvo’s design witness, Shultz,. established knowledge of a specific danger — the risk to children and small adults positioned near the airbag as it deployed — that was not expressed in a warning. Indeed, the trial court noted Volvo’s knowledge of existing risk in denying defendants “superseding cause” jury instruction. The trial court stated that “[i]t is clear ... that Volvo definitely foresaw the possibility of individuals being unbelted in the front seat of the car, specifically the passenger side,” and that based on Volvo’s knowledge the court could not say that Volvo should not have foreseen the risk associated with airbag deployment. Thus, sufficient evidence was adduced at trial to support the instruction on failure-to-warn under § 2307.76. Finally, we find that Ohio case law does not support the district court’s refusal to instruct the jury on the failure-to-warn law of defective products. Although the Ohio Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court’s grant of summary judgment for the defendant in a products liability failure-to-warn claim when it found that no genuine issue of material fact existed as to whether the warnings and instructions in the manual were adequate to warn of the risk associated with the activity, the court based its decision on an explicit finding that the warnings were adequate. See Freas v. Prater Const. Corp., 60 Ohio St.3d 6, 573 N.E.2d 27, 30-31 (Ohio 1991); see also Phan, 653 N.E.2d at 711 (Ohio appellate court decision finding that the warnings provided were adequate and affirming grant of summary judgment for defendant). The Freas court, however, expressly cautioned that warnings set forth in a manual are not sufficient per se in all situations. See Freas, 573 N.E.2d at 30-31. In the present case, there has been no district court finding that the warnings were adequate as a matter of law. Under Ohio law, we decline to find the warnings adequate as well. The mere presence of defendants’ warnings that, if followed, may have been adequate does not eliminate the fact that a jury could find the existing warnings inadequate based on their form, manner of expression, or lack of exigency. See Seley, 423 N.E.2d at 837; see also Freas, 573 N.E.2d at 32 (cautioning that existence of warnings in manual may not be adequate per se where there is a duty to provide further warnings to the user of the product). Thus, the issue is not merely the existence of the warnings, but the factual issue of their content. Because there is sufficient evidence that Volvo knew of a specific risk associated with the normal use of the product by small adults and children and evidence that this explicit risk was not part of the warnings or instructions under § 2307.76, we find that the district court abused its discretion by failing to instruct the jury on the failure-to-warn theory of liability. Cf Webster, 197 F.3d at 820. Moreover, we decline to decide that defendants’ warnings were adequate as a matter of law. Accordingly, we REVERSE the district court’s judgment denying of the failure-to-warn instruction and REMAND for a new trial.