Opinion ID: 2551773
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Product Liability Statute of Limitations

Text: ¶ 21 We emphasize at the outset that the district court was correct in denying AGFA's product liability statute of limitations motion for summary judgment. The court held that the claims brought here do not involve a defect or malfunction in the Curix machine itself and concluded that this is a negligence case only. Nonetheless, AGFA continues to argue, as a fall-back position, that Technicians' claims are time-barred by the two-year Product Liability Act statute of limitation, Utah Code Ann. § 78-15-3 (1996). ¶ 22 Utah Code Ann. section 78-15-6 (1996) provides in part: (1) No product shall be considered to have a defect or to be in a defective condition, unless at the time the product was sold by the manufacturer or other initial seller, there was a defect or defective condition in the product which made the product unreasonably dangerous to the user or consumer. (2) As used in this act, unreasonably dangerous means that the product was dangerous to an extent beyond which would be contemplated by the ordinary and prudent buyer, consumer or user of that product in that community considering the product's characteristics, propensities, risks, dangers and uses together with any actual knowledge, training, or experience possessed by that particular buyer, user or consumer. ¶ 23 Technicians have not alleged that the Curix was defective or unreasonably dangerous when purchased. Indeed, the facts would not support such an allegation since Technicians used the processing machine without problems for several years prior to its reinstallation in the smaller, windowless mammography suite. Cf. Slisze v. Stanley-Bostitch, 1999 UT 20, ¶ 10, 979 P.2d 317 (declining to find less safe product unreasonably dangerous). Rather, Technicians contended that AGFA was negligent in its installation and maintenance of the Curix processor in the new location. Section 78-12-25(3) provides a four-year statute of limitation for claims of negligence. Technicians brought this action within four years of discovery of their injuries, and therefore this action is not time barred. See Slisze, 1999 UT 20, ¶ 8, 979 P.2d 317 (plain language of the product liability statute does not preclude common law negligence claims).