Opinion ID: 852197
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Ford's Insufficient Evidence Claims

Text: Ford seeks reversal and judgment in its favor on grounds of insufficient evidence. It asserts that the plaintiff's case against it was based on three theories of liability: (a) defective seatbelt system; (b) defective sunroof; and (c) defective design regarding the Ford Explorer's handling and stability characteristics. Ford argues that the evidence fails to prove at least one element of each of these theories. In response, the plaintiff argues that the evidence was sufficient to support the claims alleging defects as to the seatbelt and the sunroof. In the appellate review of a claim of insufficient evidence in a civil case, we affirm a verdict when, considering the probative evidence and reasonable inferences, a reasonable jury could have arrived at the same determination. Gary Cmty. Sch. Corp. v. Powell, 906 N.E.2d 823, 830 (Ind.2009). We neither weigh the evidence nor judge witness credibility but consider only the evidence and inferences most favorable to the judgment. Martin v. Roberts, 464 N.E.2d 896, 904 (Ind.1984); Beall v. Mooring Tax Asset Group, 813 N.E.2d 778, 781 (Ind.Ct.App.2004), trans. not sought. We will reverse only if there is a lack of evidence or evidence from which a reasonable inference can be drawn on an essential element of the plaintiffs claim. Martin, 464 N.E.2d at 904. As to the plaintiff's claim of negligent seatbelt system design, the parties agree that the plaintiffs decedent was ejected through the sunroof in the rollover when his seatbelt developed slack. Competing expert witnesses disputed the cause of the slack. Ford contends that the evidence was insufficient because it failed to establish the requisite standard of care and failed to prove that Ford's conduct fell below such standard. Ford argues that because automotive design is outside a layman's common experience, the plaintiff was required, and failed, to present competent expert testimony establishing the particular standard of care and the breach of such standard. Ford urges that the plaintiff should have presented evidence concerning the methodology a reasonable manufacturer would employ when designing a seat belt system or selecting its component parts. Ford's Appellant's Br. at 29. Ford also adopts and incorporates TRWs arguments alleging insufficient evidence. To the extent that TRWs arguments extend to Ford, they are that the plaintiff failed to present evidence of the proper standard of care; to offer testing, data, studies, or other evidence to show a safer, more practicable product design; and to rebut evidence that its proposed alternative design itself presented safety concerns. The Indiana Product Liability Act generally imposes strict liability for physical harm caused by a product in an unreasonably dangerous defective condition. Ind.Code § 34-20-2-1. For actions based on an alleged product design defect, however, the Act departs from strict liability and specifies a different standard of proof: [T]he party making the claim must establish that the manufacturer or seller failed to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances in designing the product. Ind.Code § 34-20-2-2. Thus the statute itself prescribes the applicable standard of care. We decline to require proof of any additional or more particular standard of care in product liability actions alleging a design defect. [2] Pointing to the testimony of Steven Meyer, a widely published mechanical engineer who has studied restraint systems in rollover accidents and testified for the plaintiff, Ford asserts that Meyer failed to provide any direct testimony that Ford's designers fell below the standard of care. This deficiency, Ford argues, establishes its claim of insufficient evidence as to the plaintiffs claim of defective design of the seatbelt system. While the plaintiff was required to prove such breach of duty, the sufficiency of such proof is determined from the evidence itself and did not require an opinion witness's declaration thereof. Meyer testified that the 1997 Explorer's seatbelt system was defective because it allows the belt to become unlocked during the rollover portion of a rollover. Tr. at 579. He explained that this could have been avoided if Ford had chosen an alternative retractor design, a pretensioner, that Ford had used in other passenger vehicles, particularly in Europe. Tr. at 594-96. Acknowledging that Meyer testified that a different design was available and should have been chosen, Ford attacks Meyer's credibility and lack of personal experience in designing automotive components, and it argues in response that the availability of a safer alternative design should not suffice to prove negligence. As directed by statute, the plaintiff was required to establish that the manufacturer or seller failed to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances in designing the product. Ind.Code § 34-20-2-2. That Ford elected to equip its 1997 Ford Explorer with a seatbelt system without utilizing the pretensioner technology it used for Ford vehicles manufactured in Europe constitutes probative evidence as to the issue of Ford's use of reasonable care. For the purpose of appellate review for sufficiency, such evidence may support a reasonable inference of seatbelt system design negligence. With respect to the claim of negligent sunroof design, Ford claims an absence of evidence that the sunroof was dislodged by occupant forces pushing outward rather than as a result of the vehicle slamming into the ground during the first roll before the ejection occurred. Ford's Appellant's Br. at 34. Ford also argues that, even if the sunroof was dislodged by occupant force, there was no evidence that this resulted from a structural failure. Ford acknowledges that the plaintiff's decedent was ejected from the Explorer through the sunroof. Ford's Appellant's Br. at 7. According to the opinion testimony of Joseph L. Burton, M.D., had the decedent been retained inside the vehicle, he should have survived this accident. Tr. at 714-15. Testimony from Stephen A. Batzer, Ph.D., P.E., provided evidence that the rollover tendency of Ford Explorers and other sport utility vehicles was well-known before the 1997 Explorer was built, that the sunroof glass detached in the course of this rollover accident and provided an opening in the roof when its brackets failed, and that the use of a stronger sunroof bracket design was technologically and economically feasible. Whether the roof opening occurred because the glass sunroof became detached as a result of the physical forces on the vehicle as it rolled or was due to occupant force from the inside is not determinative. There existed evidence showing that the decedent was ejected through the sunroof opening created when the sunroof glass dislodged because of the failure of its mounting brackets. While Ford vigorously contends that its design decisions were reasonable, we do not weigh the evidence or judge witness credibility in reviewing for sufficiency. Martin, 464 N.E.2d at 904. As to the negligent design of the seatbelt system and the sunroof, there is not a complete absence of evidence or reasonable inferences favoring the jury's verdict, and we must defer to the jury. Id. Considering the probative evidence and reasonable inferences, we do not find that the jury was unreasonable in its determination of partial fault on the part of Ford and thus affirm the verdict as to these claims. Ford also asserts that the evidence was insufficient to prove design defects affecting the handling and stability characteristics of the Explorer. This claim, however, was not before the jury in its final deliberations. During the trial court's preliminary instructions at the commencement of trial, the jury was told that the plaintiff claims that the Ford Explorer contained handling and stability defects that caused it to lose control and roll over in reasonably foreseeable driving events, such as tire failures, Tr. at 67-68. At the conclusion of all the evidence, Ford filed briefs in support of directed verdict as to the sunroof claim and the handling and stability claim. Appellants' App'x at 33, 68, 80. The record reflects that the trial court denied Ford's Motion for Judgment on the Evidence. Id. at 33. In the trial court's final instructions at the conclusion of the evidence, however, the claim of defective design related to handling and stability was omitted. Instead, the jury was simply told, With regard to Ford, the product at issue is the Explorer, and specifically the sunroof and the seatbelt assembly. Tr. at 2932-33. Other instructions did not identify any claim by the plaintiff alleging defective design related to the Explorer's handling and stability characteristics. And in closing argument, the plaintiff did not assert a claim for defective design related to the Explorer's handling and stability characteristics. Because this claim ultimately was not presented to the jury and thus not a basis for its verdict, we decline to address the sufficiency of the evidence as to handling and stability.