Court Opinion

ID: 9452790
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 17:52:12.16982+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:33:21.592892
License: Public Domain

McLAUGHLIN, Circuit Judge
(dissenting).
The majority opinion is based entirely upon the unwarranted assumption that its primary secondary liability doctrine is spelled out by the jury verdict. Therefore not only is the judgment in favor of Tecumseh on Marquette’s cross-claim reversed but final judgment is to be entered thereon in favor of Marquette. Aside from everything else this arises out of a plain misconception of the trial record.
In addition to the complete refrigerator carrying a plate stating that the factory test pressure was 195 pounds as mentioned in the Court opinion, actually there was another plate on the front of the same complete refrigerator which was inscribed that it was manufactured by Marquette Appliances, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota; that it was Model No. 110, and that its serial number was AO9-F1AL-6304. •
There was extremely strong evidence on behalf of Tecumseh that it had subjected the compressor to the proper trade pressure test at 235 to 250 pounds and the proper leak test by submersion in water; that after the accident the two halves of the compressor looked “ * * * as if they had been subjected to excessive pressure because of the deformity that were [stet] in them. It also looked to me as if the weld were [stet] a good weld * * The witness was James R. Elliott, staff assistant to the Tecumseh general manager in charge of sales and engineering. Mr. Elliott had thirty years experience with the Company, a great part of which was in the engineering department. Under the direction of Dr. Berger, University of Pittsburgh metallurgic specialist, he had extensive tests made and his final conclusion as was that of Dr. Berger, was:
“I believe what occurred was that one hundred and seventy pounds pres*607sure was put into this thing from a nitrogen tank and the tank was not securely shut off, and that the pressure went from the tank to the compressor shell and raised the pressure in the shell up to rupture pressure.”
The compressor was made in 1950. Plaintiff had made some patch repairs to the refrigerator in 1962, the year prior to the accident. He did not state the nature of these. There was no evidence whatsoever offered by Marquette. Other than the representation on its refrigerator, there is nothing in the case to show Marquette made any pressure test at all.
All of the above was before the jury which found both defendants guilty of common proximate negligence causing the accident. As will be seen, the Court in effect told the jury it might consider the question regarding causation as to both defendants. The jury found them both guilty of primary negligence without any differentiation between them as to the degree of negligence.
The Court opinion finds the trial judge in plain error, not in his charge to the jury upon which the latter’s verdict is founded, but because in his opinion, disposing of the various motions he noted, that “ * * * in the light of the jury verdict the defendants must be found to be joint or concurrent tortfeasors * * Examination of the charge reveals it as errorless on the point involved. There was no objection to the charge, on said point. The claim of bad welding by plaintiff against Tecumseh was discussed for over three pages. The admittedly affirmative duty of Marquette in accordance with the trade custom to conduct a pressure test of the whole pressure system up to 250 pounds was detailed. After that, the judge gave the jury the full picture of the alleged negligence of Tecumseh for faulty inspection. Then the Court, in discussing possible verdicts, told the jury:
“Your verdict will therefore specify what you found with respect to each of these defendants. The question of causation might come in, although this is somewhat conjectural, but as I repeat, you are the sole judges of the facts. Suppose it were found that the welding was negligent, but that the assembler could and should have discovered it. There might be a situation in which the manufacturer could say that his negligence was not the cause of the injury because it should have been found later on by somebody else, and that it was the later independent cause that really brought about the injury. Well, that is extremely unlikely. The more probable rule that you would apply is the rule of concurrent or joint negligence. If there were negligence in the manufacture and that continued on and contributed to the causing of the injury, but there also concurrently was negligence on the part of the assembler, then if you found negligence on the part of both defendants, and that the negligence of both defendants contributed to or was the proximate causing of the injury, then you could find a verdict against both defendants.”
It would seem rather clear that the jury verdict of a flat finding of primary ■negligence against the two defendants is in accord with the Court’s above quoted language to which there was no objection. And it would further seem that; the Court’s above expressed theory is-sound under the facts and conceded Pennsylvania decisional law. Builders Supply Co. v. McCabe, 366 Pa. 322, 327-328, 77 A.2d 368, 371, 24 A.L.R.2d 319' (1951) holds:
“Without multiplying instances, it is. clear that the right of a person vicariously or secondarily liable for a tort, to recover from one primarily liable, has been universally recognized. But. the important point to be noted in all. the cases is that secondary as distinguished from primary liability rests upon a fault that is imputed or constructive only, being based on some legal relation between the parties, or arising from some positive rule of common or statutory law or because of a failure to discover or correct a defect or remedy a dangerous condition *608caused by the act of the one primarily responsible. In the case of concurrent or joint tortfeasors, having no legal relation to one another, each of them owing the same duty to the injured party, and involved in an accident in which the injury occurs, there is complete unanimity among the authorities everywhere that no right of indemnity exists on behalf of either against the other; in such a case, there is only common liability and not a primary and secondary one, even though one may have been very much more negligent than the other.”
To same effect Pittsburgh Steel Co. v. Patterson, etc., Inc., 404 Pa. 53, 171 A.2d 185 (1961).
Marquette held itself out to the public, including plaintiff, as the manufacturer of the whole refrigerator. As such it accepted its responsibility at least as having tested the compressor up to 195 pounds. Plaintiff, in his story of developing pressure up to 170 pounds, rightly relied upon Marquette’s manufacturers’ commitment. Marquette’s position was independent and primary. It had the affirmative duty of seeing to it that the compressor which it had adopted as its own not only was safe up to the Underwriters figure of 195 pounds but to the undenied trade usage pressure of from 235 to 250 pounds. That was no vicarious liability, that was its common duty at shoulder level with Tecumseh. It was so charged by the Court and so found by the jury. There is no excuse for the “two pronged negligence” of Tecumseh, so stressed by the majority, muddying the waters here. Tecumseh, rightly under the charge, could have been found primarily negligent both in the construction of the compressor and in its testing or of one or the other or neither. Marquette correctly under the charge could have been found primarily negligent in connection with its testing obligation or free from fault. Under the facts of this case if they were both found to blame, and they were, as Chief Justice Stern said in Builders Supply, supra, “ * * * there is only a common liability and not a primary and secondary one, even though one may have been very much more negligent than the other.”
The parties had assigned the task of passing on the cross-claim to the trial judge. The latter, who had seen and heard the witnesses, particularly the reasonable, knowledgeable evidence of Mr. Elliott, had substantial support for ruling out the Marquette contention and should be upheld.