Opinion ID: 465441
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Defectiveness Under the Alabama Extended Manufacturer's Liability Doctrine (AEMLD)

Text: 10 The Alabama Supreme Court developed and named the Alabama Extended Manufacturer's Liability Doctrine (AEMLD) in two cases decided simultaneously, Casrell v. Altec Industries, Inc., 335 So.2d 128 (Ala.1976) and Atkins v. American Motors Corporation, 335 So.2d 134 (Ala.1976). To establish liability under the AEMLD, a plaintiff must show that: 11 (1) he suffered injury or damages to himself or his property by one who sells a product in a defective condition unreasonably dangerous to the plaintiff as the ultimate user or consumer, if (a) the seller is engaged in the business of selling such a product, and (b) it is expected to and does reach the user or consumer without substantial change in the condition in which it is sold. (2) Showing these elements, the plaintiff has proven a prima facie case, although (a) the seller has exercised all possible care in the preparation and sale of his product, and (b) the user or consumer has not bought the product from, or entered into any contractual relationship with, the seller. 12 Casrell at 132-33. The court defined the key term: 13 'Defective' is interpreted to mean that the product does not meet the reasonable expectations of an ordinary consumer as to its safety. Comment G. of the Restatements says defective condition applies when, at the time the product leaves the seller's hand, it is in a condition not contemplated by the ultimate consumer. 14 Casrell at 133. 15 Electrolux argues strenuously that, given Alabama products liability law and the evidence presented at trial, reasonable and impartial jurors could come to but one conclusion: that the Husqvarna chain saw was not defective. Electrolux established the following at trial: (1) The chain saw Nettles used was manufactured and designed for professional logging purposes; (2) the majority of professional loggers used chain saws without chain brakes; (3) at the time of Nettles's accident (1981), chain brake technology had not advanced to the point that American chain saw manufacturers felt chain brakes should be standard equipment on chain saws; (4) Electrolux offered chain brakes as optional equipment at the time of Nettles's mishap; and (5) Nettles's saw was equipped with a safety feature known as a low kick back chain. 4 16 Nettles relied, principally, on the testimony of Olof Goransson, an Electrolux quality manager. 5 17 Nettles contends that Goransson's testimony constituted an admission by Electrolux that their chain saws were not as safe as possible and that under Alabama law, such products are considered defective. 18 According to Alabama precedent, a product is defective if it does not meet the reasonable expectations of ordinary consumers as to its safety. Therefore, manufacturers are not automatically subjected to liability because their products are not as safe as possible. Liability may attach, however, if a product, because it does not have some safety feature, fails to meet the reasonable expectations of ordinary consumers as to its safety. 19 Whether a product meets reasonable expectations as to safety is for the jury to decide. 20 Caterpillar v. Ford, 406 So.2d 854 (1981) is instructive on this issue. In that case, a strip miner was killed when his Caterpillar B8H tractor rolled over three-fourths of a turn and crushed him to death. His widow sued alleging that the tractor was defective under the AEMLD because it did not have a roll-over protection structure (ROPS) which would have prevented the accident. The Alabama Supreme Court held that a scintilla of evidence was presented which justified the trial court's actions in sending the case to the jury. Even though the evidence necessary to send the case to the jury in Caterpillar under the scintilla rule was lower than the standard necessary in the instant case, the language employed by the Alabama Supreme Court is instructive: 21 There was evidence that caterpillar had knowledge of the potential of the B8H tractor to roll over and that a ROPS was effective in preventing injury or death in such accidents. It was also established that Caterpillar, as of July, 1970, offered a ROPS as optional equipment but did not install it as a standard feature of the B8H tractor. There was evidence from which a jury could conclude that the failure to include some protection against roll overs rendered the tractor defective.... We conclude that both issues were for the jury and that the evidence supports a finding by it that the tractor was defective. 22 Caterpillar at 856. 23 In this case, we cannot say that the evidence pointed so strongly in Electrolux's favor that the issue should not have been presented to the jury. Reasonable minds could have differed as to whether Electrolux's chain saw was defective because it did not have a chain brake. We hold that the district court did not err in denying Electrolux's motions for directed verdict and for judgment notwithstanding the verdict.