Opinion ID: 2512590
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Negligence exterior insulation

Text: ¶ 18 The plaintiff also contends that the defendant-manufacturers had a duty to warn of the danger of exposure to the asbestos, breach of which constitutes actionable negligence. As explained in Simonetta, a manufacturer's duty to exercise ordinary care and warn of dangers associated with its product is governed by the Restatement (Second) of Torts § 388 (1965), adopted in Mele v. Turner, 106 Wash.2d 73, 78, 720 P.2d 787 (1986). [12] We noted in Mele, 106 Wash.2d at 78, 78 n. 9, 720 P.2d 787, that § 388 reflected existing state law. Under § 388, the manufacturer has the duty to warn of the hazards involved in the use of the product that are or should be known to the manufacturer. But Washington case law does not support extending the duty to warn to another manufacturer's product. Simonetta, 197 P.3d at 133. Rather, our state cases generally limit § 388 liability to those in the chain of distribution of the product, such as manufacturers, suppliers, or sellers, and this accords with the case law from other jurisdictions. Id. at 133. ¶ 19 Because the duty to warn is limited to those in the chain of distribution of the hazardous product, id. at 133, the defendants here had no duty to warn of the danger of exposure to asbestos in the insulation applied to their products. None of the defendants were in the chain of distribution of the exterior insulation applied to their products, and under our analysis in Simonetta, the plaintiff's negligence claims based upon exposure to the insulation applied to the defendants' products were properly dismissed on summary judgment.