Court Opinion

ID: 9703411
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 23:55:11.729754+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:21:48.721876
License: Public Domain

HOFFMAN, Judge,
dissenting.
As I do not believe that the lower court erred in submitting the issue of a design defect to the jury, I must respectfully dissent.
In a design defect case, the court is required to engage in a risk/utility analysis prior to submission of the case to the jury Azzarello v. Black Brothers, 480 Pa. 547, 391 A.2d 1020 (1978). This “threshold” inquiry requires that the trial judge make an initial determination whether as a matter of social policy the case is appropriate for treatment under the rubric of products liability. Ellis v. Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., 376 Pa.Super. 220, 228 n. 6, 545 A.2d 906, 910 n. 6 (1988). In making this determination, moreover, the trial court is to consider the following factors:
(1) the product’s usefulness and desirability — its usefulness to the user and to the public as a whole; (2) the safety aspects of the product — the likelihood that it will cause injury and the potential severity of such injury; (3) the mechanical feasibility of a safer design; (4) the availability of a safer substitute product which meets the same need; (5) the economic feasibility of a safer design; (6) the manufacturer’s ability to reduce or eliminate the unsafe character of the product without impairing its usefulness or rendering it too expensive to maintain its utility; (7) the user’s or public’s ability to avoid the danger posed by exercising care *482in exposure to or use of the product; (8) the user’s or consumer’s anticipated awareness of the dangers inherent in the product’s design and their availability resulting from general public knowledge of the obvious condition of the product or of the existence of appropriate warnings or instructions; (9) the adverse consequences to the product and to the consumer resulting from a safer design; and (10) the feasibility of permitting or requiring the manufacturer to spread the risk of loss by carrying liability insurance or by self insurance and setting the price of the product accordingly.
See Dambacher v. Mallis, 336 Pa.Super. 22, 50-51, 485 A.2d 408, 423 (1984).
At this preliminary stage, however, the lower court is required to view the evidence in a light most favorable to the plaintiff. Burch v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 320 Pa.Super. 444, 450-451, 467 A.2d 615, 618-619 (1983). Although the Majority espouses a commendable social philosophy in support of its decision, I do not believe proper weight was given to the plaintiffs evidence. I agree with the trial court that, as plaintiffs presented several alternate design options for consideration as well as expert testimony in support of the mechanical and financial feasibility of these designs, the issue of a design defect was properly submitted to the jury. Therefore, I respectfully dissent.