Opinion ID: 2547459
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Jonas Carter and his sister Brittany were playing when Jonas accidently set fire to Brittany's dress with a J-26 model BIC lighter (the Subject Lighter). Brittany was badly burned and Janace Carter, Brittany's mother, sued BIC as Brittany's next friend. Janace claimed that Brittany's injuries were the result of manufacturing and design defects in the Subject Lighter. A jury found that both types of defects were producing causes of Brittany's injuries. The trial court rendered judgment against BIC for actual and exemplary damages found by the jury. BIC appealed and the court of appeals affirmed. BIC Pen, 171 S.W.3d at 662. The appeals court held, in part, that the design defect claim was not preempted by federal law and the evidence was sufficient to support the finding that a design defect in the lighter was a producing cause of the fire that burned Brittany. Id. We granted BIC's petition for review, held that the design defect claim was preempted by federal law, and remanded the case for the court of appeals to consider the remaining issues. BIC Pen, 251 S.W.3d at 511. On remand the court of appeals concluded that Carter's manufacturing defect claim was not preempted by federal law, the jury's finding on that claim was supported by the evidence, the trial court did not err by giving a spoliation instruction, and there was no evidence BIC acted with malice. 346 S.W.3d at 573. The appeals court affirmed the trial court's judgment as to actual damages and reversed and rendered as to exemplary damages. Id. BIC again petitioned for review, asserting that (1) Carter's manufacturing defect claim is preempted by federal law, and (2) Carter did not prove a manufacturing defect caused Brittany's injuries because there was no evidence (a) that the lighter varied from manufacturing specifications, (b) that the lighter was unreasonably dangerous, or (c) of causation. Carter filed a conditional petition for review, arguing that the court of appeals erred in reversing the award of punitive damages. We conclude that Carter's manufacturing defect claim is not preempted by federal law. We further conclude, however, that the evidence is legally insufficient to support the finding that a manufacturing defect caused Brittany's injuries. We first address BIC's assertion that Carter's manufacturing defect claim is preempted.