Opinion ID: 1822087
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Pleaded Claims.

Text: The pleadings disclose issues which are fairly typical in a products liability case. Plaintiff Edna Speck alleged that while she was working in the plant of her employer Iowa Periodicals, Inc. (employer) on August 19, 1980, her hand became trapped between a conveyor belt and roller, causing severe injuries. The belt and roller had been manufactured by defendant Unit Handling Division and sold to the employer by defendant Newell Machinery Company. Plaintiff's petition at law alleged separate theories of recovery for negligence, breach of warranty, strict liability based upon the product's defective condition, and strict liability based on the defendants' failure to warn of known dangers. Plaintiff's employer filed a notice of lien for workers' compensation paid to plaintiff. In response, to the strict liability claims, Unit Handling asserted several affirmative defensesplaintiff's misuse of the product, plaintiff's subjective assumption of risk, and plaintiff's negligence which, they alleged, should proportionately reduce her recovery. Additionally, both defendants alleged that the employer was negligent and requested permission to bring a third party action against the employer to recover contribution in an amount equal to the employer's percentage of fault, or at least an amount representing the employer's workers' compensation lien. The trial court struck from Unit Handling's answer affirmative defenses directed to the strict liability counts in which it alleged that the employer had been negligent and that the plaintiff had negligently caused her own injuries. The trial court also denied the defendants' request to join the employer as a third party defendant against whom they wished to obtain contribution. We address first the issue whether a plaintiff's negligence in the ordinary sense is a defense to a strict liability action, then the question of contribution from the employer. We do not address plaintiff's contention that comparative negligence concepts should be applied to the defenses of alleged misuse of the product and subjective assumption of risk. The trial court was not asked to rule on those questions, and plaintiff did not apply for interlocutory appeal nor file a cross-appeal.