Opinion ID: 499790
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Similar incidents involving other Remington Model 700 Rifles

Text: 12 Remington next argues that the district court erroneously admitted evidence of other Model 700s which were claimed to have discharged when the safety was placed in the fire position. We disagree. 13 In order to be admissible a proper foundation must be laid showing that the other incidents involving a Model 700 discharging on release of the safety occurred under circumstances substantially similar to the circumstances surrounding the discharge of the Lewy rifle. Hale II, 820 F.2d at 934; Johnson v. Colt Indus. Operating Corp., 797 F.2d 1530, 1534 (10th Cir.1986). The Lewys laid an adequate foundation for admission of the related incidents involving the Model 700. See, e.g., R.W. Murray, Co. v. Shatterproof Glass Corp., 758 F.2d 266, 275 (8th Cir.1985). 14 The Lewys laid a foundation which established that the Model 700 evidence introduced was substantially similar to the Lewy Model 700. The Lewys established substantial similarity in both manufacture and defect primarily from records maintained by Remington. Remington prepared Gun Examination Reports (GERs) for every Model 700 which was returned to Remington because of customer complaints that the rifle fired on release of safety. Each report contains a statement of the customer's complaint and the circumstances relating to the alleged FSR. These GERs, as well as the other evidence supporting them, sufficiently established the foundation for the admission of the M700 evidence. In addition to the GERs, the Lewys introduced customer complaint letters, responsive correspondence prepared by Remington, and depositions and live testimony of some of the customers who complained to Remington. 15 It should also be noted that the district court did not allow the Lewys to admit all M700 evidence carte blanche. In fact the district court specifically excluded any evidence of M700 discharges that may have resulted from other causes unrelated to the alleged defect in the Lewy rifle. 16 On remand, once the evidence is admitted Remington remains free to argue to the jury that the evidence is not persuasive by pointing out the dissimilarities in the M700 evidence and the Lewy rifle. Kehm, 724 F.2d at 626. 17 Remington also argues that the evidence regarding other Model 700s is irrelevant.  'Relevant evidence' means evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence. Fed.R.Evid. 401. As we have previously noted, a foundation was properly laid establishing that the Model 700 evidence was substantially similar to the Lewy Model 700. Therefore, the evidence was relevant to several contested issues in the trial. First, it was relevant to whether Remington had notice. Notice was a hotly contested issue and was an important element of the Lewy's failure to warn theory of the case. Additionally, notice is important in establishing a submissible case for punitive damages. Second, the evidence was relevant to show causation. Under Fed.R.Evid. 401, evidence of similar occurrences 'might be relevant to the defendant's notice, magnitude of the danger involved, the defendant's ability to correct a known defect, the lack of safety for intended uses,    the standard of care, and causation.'  Kehm, 724 F.2d at 625 (quoting Ramos v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 615 F.2d 334, 338-39 (5th Cir.1980), cert. denied sub nom. Rucker Co. v. Shell Oil Co., 449 U.S. 1112, 101 S.Ct. 921, 66 L.Ed.2d 840 (1981) ); Thomas v. Chrysler Corp., 717 F.2d 1223, 1224-25 (8th Cir.1983). 18