Court Opinion

ID: 9929841
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-05 15:06:00.676233+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:55:49.303903
License: Public Domain

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
                               APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
        This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the
     internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.

                                                        SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
                                                        APPELLATE DIVISION
                                                        DOCKET NO. A-2841-21

MARCOS DE OLIVEIRA,

          Plaintiff-Appellant,

v.

AUTO SPORT OF NEWARK,
CORP., d/b/a NEWARK AUTO
SPORTS CO.,

          Defendant,

and

ANSELL HEALTHCARE
PRODUCTS, LLC, TOYOTA
MOTOR SALES, U.S.A., INC.,
and AUTOZONE AUTO PARTS,

          Defendants-Respondents.

                   Argued September 27, 2023 – Decided February 5, 2024

                   Before Judges Rose and Smith.

                   On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law
                   Division, Essex County, Docket No. L-2685-19.
              Paul F. O'Reilly argued the cause for appellant (Law
              Offices of James Vasquez, PC, attorneys; Angelo Jamie
              Vasquez and Paul F. O'Reilly, on the brief).

              Jo E. Peifer argued the cause for respondent Toyota
              Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (Lavin, Cedrone, Graver,
              Boyd & DiSipio, attorneys; Jo E. Peifer, of counsel and
              on the brief; Gerard Cedrone, on the brief).

PER CURIAM

      In this personal injury action, plaintiff Marcos De Oliveira appeals from

an April 4, 2022 Law Division order dismissing his complaint against defendant

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) on summary judgment. Because there

was no cognizable evidence in the record to support a reasonable inference that

TMS was responsible for plaintiff's injuries, we affirm.

                                        I.

      We summarize the facts from the motion record in a light most favorable

to plaintiff as the non-moving party. See R. 4:46-2(c); Brill v. Guardian Life

Ins. Co. of Am., 142 N.J. 520, 540 (1995). The incident occurred on November

6, 2018, while plaintiff was repairing a 2004 Toyota Highlander at an autobody

shop in Newark. Plaintiff was an automobile mechanic with twenty-five years'

experience.

      At deposition, plaintiff testified he replaced the Highlander's power

steering pump, steering box, and serpentine belt while the engine was turned off.

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When he was done replacing the parts, plaintiff turned on the engine and

"check[ed] whether everything was okay." As he was replacing the serpentine

belt guard – with the engine running – his glove was caught in the moving belt,

amputating his right index finger.

      Employed by defendant Auto Sport of Newark, Corp., d/b/a Newark Auto

Sports Co., at the time of the incident, plaintiff was wearing latex gloves

manufactured by defendant Ansell Healthcare Products, LLC, and purchased at

defendant AutoZone Auto Parts. The Highlander was manufactured by TMS.

Plaintiff sued all four defendants. 1

      Pertinent to this appeal, plaintiff asserted TMS breached its duty to ensure

the safety of its vehicles under a negligence theory and the Highlander had a

manufacturing defect under the Product Liability Act (PLA), N.J.S.A. 2A:58C-

1 to -11. During discovery, plaintiff served the report of his automotive expert,

William Guentzler, Ph.D., whose doctorate degree was in industrial technology.

      In his report, Guentzler explained he was hired by plaintiff to determine

whether there were any design or manufacturing defects in "exemplar gloves"

1
  Plaintiff's claims against Auto Sport, Ansell, and AutoZone were dismissed
on summary judgment on April 4, 2022. Because plaintiff does not appeal from
the orders dismissing his claims against these entities, they are not parties to this
appeal. We therefore confine our review to plaintiff's claims against TMS.
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that would have caused plaintiff's injuries. Most of the expert's thirty-six-page

report pertains to his findings and conclusions concerning the allegedly

defective glove.

      Conversely, the expert's findings and conclusions concerning the

Highlander were brief. In section 5.0 of his report, entitled "Summary of

Opinions," Guentzler stated:

                   5.7 The location of the power steering reservoir
            on the Toyota Highlander constitutes a design defect
            because it is too close to the serpentine belt and [p]ower
            [s]teering fluid may contact the belt, causing the risk of
            injury.

                  5.8 Designing the Toyota Highlander to utilize a
            [s]erpentine belt without a belt guard constitutes a
            design defect because of the risk of injury, such as this
            accident.

Guentzler's opinions concerning both design defects on the vehicle at issue are

similarly stated, without elaboration, in the "Conclusions" section of the report.

      Referencing photographs of an exemplar Highlander furnished by

plaintiff's counsel, in paragraph 7.1 of his report, Guentzler set forth the basis

of his opinion: "Photo 01 shows that the [p]ower [s]teering reservoir is only

four (4) inches from the unguarded serpentine belt on the Toyota Highlander.

This is extremely dangerous because to check for leaks the engine must be

running which puts the technician's hands too close to be safe." In paragraph

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7.3, Guentzler stated, without elaboration: "Research was conducted in the

various [b]elt guards available for purchase in the aftermarket industry."

Photographs of nine of the belts are included in the report.

      There is no indication in the report, however, that Guentzler reviewed any

discovery in this matter, including plaintiff's deposition testimony describing

how and when he was injured. Nor does the report indicate Guentzler reviewed

the Highlander's design, maintenance, or repair manuals. Although the report

indicates the expert reviewed the amended complaint, that pleading does not

indicate plaintiff was injured while reinstalling the serpentine belt guard with

the engine running as he stated when deposed.

      At the close of discovery, all defendants moved for summary judgment.

Immediately following argument, the motion judge issued an oral decision,

dismissing plaintiff's complaint in its entirety. Toward the end of his decision,

the judge tersely addressed plaintiff's claims against TMS, finding plaintiff's

expert was not qualified to render an expert opinion in this matter and his

opinion was net. The judge stated:

            [Guentzler] . . . claims there[] was a design defect. But
            he's a chemist. He's not . . . an engineer and he's not
            . . . (Inaudible) basis to make the argument that in fact
            the . . . design was defective.

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                   There's got to be some support from some expert
            somewhere. Because obviously, we're talking about a
            . . . mechanical device that's not within the (Inaudible)
            of the normal average jury. You need an expert.

      The judge then afforded counsel the opportunity to expound upon their

arguments. TMS's counsel clarified summary judgment was appropriate "for a

number of reasons," including: plaintiff failed to demonstrate "the Highlander

was in the same condition as it was at the time it was distributed in 2004";

Guentzler "never looked at the actual . . . vehicle that's alleged to be defective";

Guentzler's report lacked factual support in the record; and plaintiff failed to

show how he was injured by the Highlander's defect. Instead, TMS argued

plaintiff's injuries stemmed from the inherent characteristics of the engine's

moving parts. Acknowledging Guentzler had not inspected the vehicle at issue,

plaintiff's counsel countered such failure was "not a fatal flaw" under the

governing case law. In reply, TMS's attorney noted in those cases, the experts

had considered photographs of the products at issue.

      The judge reiterated his findings, stating Guentzler was

            a chemist obviously brought in about issues involving
            the glove and the fluid . . . . I think there's a failure of
            proof here.

                  The . . . expert report is a net opinion as to what
            – how it could possibly be defective, he's not an
            engineer. And I don't think there's a (Inaudible) normal

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               average juror. And therefore, the allegations with
               regard to [TMS], I'm gonna grant the motion for
               summary judgment.

      Plaintiff now appeals, presenting three arguments for our consideration.

Plaintiff first contends "[t]he facts permitted an inference that because of the

automobile's defects," the Highlander "was not reasonably safe for its intended

and foreseeable use when it left [TMS]'s control." Arguing Guentzler's opinion

regarding both defects was unrefuted, plaintiff contends, "[a]t the very least,

there is a genuine issue as to whether the unguarded serpentine belt and its close

proximity to the power steering reservoir constituted defects." Plaintiff further

claims Guentzler was well qualified and his opinion was not net.

                                        II.

      As a preliminary matter, the motion judge's opinion falls short of the

requirements set forth in Rule 1:7-4 (a). The rule requires "the court . . . find

the facts and state its conclusions of law . . . on every motion decided by a

written order that is appealable as of right." See also Curtis v. Finneran, 83 N.J.

563, 570 (1980) (recognizing "the trial court must state clearly its factual

findings and correlate them with the relevant legal conclusions" as required by

Rule 1:7-4).

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                                        7
      In our review of a summary judgment decision, we are required to measure

the motion court's findings and conclusions "against the standards set forth in

Brill." Great Atl. & Pac. Tea Co. v. Checchio, 335 N.J. Super. 495, 498 (App.

Div. 2000). Those standards are well settled. Summary judgment should be

granted when "the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and

admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no

genuine issue as to any material fact challenged and that the moving party is

entitled to a judgment or order as a matter of law." Brill, 142 N.J. at 528-29;

see also R. 4:46-2(c). Issues of law are subject to de novo review and the motion

judge's determination of such issues is accorded no deference. Rios v. Meda

Pharm., Inc., 247 N.J. 1, 13 (2021).

      Notwithstanding our de novo standard of review, "our function as an

appellate court is to review the decision of the trial court, not to decide the

motion tabula rasa." Est. of Doerfler v. Fed. Ins. Co., 454 N.J. Super. 298, 301-

02 (App. Div. 2018). We have recognized "[t]he duty to find facts and state

conclusions of law is explicit in R[ule] 1:7-4, iterated in connection with

motions for summary judgment in R[ule] 4:46-2,[2] and mandated where there is

2
  Rule 4:46-2 requires the trial court to "find the facts and state its conclusions
in accordance with R[ule] 1:7-4."

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                                        8
an appeal by R[ule] 2:5-1(b).[3]" In re Will of Marinus, 201 N.J. Super. 329, 339

(App. Div. 1985).

      Although we do not endorse the motion judge's failure to fully comply

with Rule 1:7-4 in this case, his terse findings do not impede our review. We

are convinced by our own independent assessment of the record summary

judgment was properly entered because we agree with the motion judge – albeit

for different reasons – that Guentzler's opinion was net. See Medford v. Duggan,

323 N.J. Super. 127, 138 (App. Div. 1999) (recognizing the prin ciple that an

appellate court will affirm an order or judgment if it is legally sound, even if the

trial court applied poor or incorrect reasoning); see also T.B. v. Novia, 472 N.J.

Super. 80, 93 (App. Div. 2022) (explaining that we may affirm summary

judgment orders for reasons other than those expressed by the trial court).

We conclude a remand for more explicit findings would only serve to delay the

same disposition. In doing so, we note plaintiff does not seek a remand. Nor

has either party requested the judge amplify his decision under Rule 2:5-1(b),

or clarify the inaudible portions of his decision.

3
  Under Rule 2:5-1(b), the trial court may amplify its reasons within fifteen days
of the appeal; the motion judge did not do so here. See Allstate Ins. Co. v.
Fisher, 408 N.J. Super. 289, 300 (App. Div. 2009).
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                                         9
                                      III.

                                       A.

      Well-established principles guide our review. Melding the elements of

product liability under the common law, the PLA recognizes three claims:

design defect, manufacturing defect, and failure to warn. N.J.S.A. 2A:58C-2;

see also Roberts v. Rich Foods, Inc., 139 N.J. 365, 375 (1995); Dziewiecki v.

Bakula, 361 N.J. Super. 90, 97 (App. Div. 2003).

      To succeed on a product liability claim, the plaintiff must make a prima

facie showing that "(1) the product design was defective; (2) the defect existed

when the product was distributed by and under control of the defendant; and (3)

the defect caused injury to a reasonably foreseeable user." Michalko v. Cooke

Color & Chem. Corp., 91 N.J. 386, 394 (1982). As a "fundamental prerequisite,"

a plaintiff must establish causation, i.e., "the product was a proximate cause of

the injury." Coffman v. Keene Corp., 133 N.J. 581, 594 (1993). The plaintiff

need not prove the defect was the sole cause of the injury; the manufacturer or

seller will be liable if the defect was a concurrent or substantial contributing

cause. Perez v. Wyeth Labs, Inc., 161 N.J. 1, 26-27 (1999).

      A plaintiff's burden can be met by: (1) direct evidence, (2) circumstantial

evidence that justifies such an inference, or (3) negating all other possible

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                                      10
reasons for the occurrence to make it reasonable to assume that the defect existed

prior to the sale. See Scanlon v. Gen. Motors Corp., 65 N.J. 582, 591-92 (1974)

(quoting Jakubowski v. Minnesota Min. & Mfg., 42 N.J. 177, 183-84 (1964)).

To circumstantially establish a manufacturing defect, the plaintiff must establish

the incident: (1) "ordinarily occurs as a result of a product defect" and (2) "was

not solely the result of causes other than the product defect existing at the time"

the product left the manufacturer's control. Myrlak v. Port Auth. of N.Y. & N.J.,

157 N.J. 84, 104 (1999) (quoting Restatement (Third) of Torts § 3 (Am. L. Inst.

1997)). However, "[a]n inference of defectiveness may not be drawn from the

mere fact that someone was injured." Zaza v. Marquess & Nell, Inc., 144 N.J.

34, 49 (1996). "Liability should be imposed only when the manufacturer is

responsible for the defective condition." Ibid.

      Although plaintiff generally asserted failure to warn and manufacturing

defects in his amended complaint, those claims were abandoned during

discovery. Indeed, Guentzler's report is devoid of any conclusions supporting a

manufacturing defect or failure to warn allegation. Accordingly, we limit our

review to plaintiff's claim of design defect.

      To prove a design defect under the PLA, a plaintiff must establish the

product was "designed in a defective manner." N.J.S.A. 2A:58C-2(c). Further,

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a plaintiff must demonstrate that the product "was not reasonably fit, suitable or

safe for its intended purpose." Dewey v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 121 N.J.

69, 95 (1990) (quoting N.J.S.A. 2A:58C-2). Accordingly, "[a] plaintiff must

prove either that the product's risk[] outweigh[s] its utility or that the product

could have been designed in an alternative manner so as to minimize or eliminate

the risk of harm." Lewis v. Am. Cyanamid Co., 155 N.J. 544, 570 (1998).

Plaintiffs must also prove that the defect was in existence while the product was

in the control of the manufacturer. Scanlon, 65 N.J. at 591.

      "To prove the existence of a defect, a plaintiff may rely on the testimony

of an expert who has examined the product or offers an opinion on the product's

design." Lauder v. Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps, 368 N.J. Super. 320,

331 (App. Div. 2004); see also Myrlak, 157 N.J. at 97. "Where the allegedly

defective product involves a complex instrumentality, a plaintiff is required to

provide expert testimony." Rocco v. N.J. Transit Rail Operations, Inc., 330 N.J.

Super. 320, 341 (App. Div. 2000). Expert testimony is necessary to assist the

fact finder in understanding "the mechanical intricacies of the instrumentality"

and in excluding other possible causes of the accident. Jimenez v. GNOC Corp.,

286 N.J. Super. 533, 546 (App. Div. 1996).

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                                       12
      "The admission or exclusion of expert testimony is committed to the

sound discretion of the trial court." Townsend v. Pierre, 221 N.J. 36, 52 (2015).

Similarly, "the qualifications of experts are left to the discretion of the trial

court, and its decision is conclusive unless clearly shown to be erroneous." State

v. Perez, 218 N.J. Super. 478, 483 (App. Div. 1987). "The requirements for

expert qualifications are in the disjunctive" and "can be based on either

knowledge, training or experience." Bellardini v. Krikorian, 222 N.J. Super.

457, 463 (App. Div. 1988); see also N.J.R.E. 702 (establishing when expert

testimony is permissible and requiring the expert be qualified in his or her

respective field).

      The net opinion rule is a "corollary of [N.J.R.E. 703] . . . which forbids

the admission into evidence of an expert's conclusions that are not supported by

factual evidence or other data." Townsend, 221 N.J. at 53-54 (alterations in

original) (quoting Polzo v. County of Essex, 196 N.J. 569, 583 (2008)); see also

Pomerantz Paper Corp. v. New Cmty. Corp., 207 N.J. 344, 373 (2011) (holding

"a trial court may not rely on expert testimony that lacks an appropriate factual

foundation and fails to establish the existence of any standard about which the

expert testified"). Pursuant to the net opinion rule, therefore, experts must "be

able to identify the factual bases for their conclusions, explain their

                                                                            A-2841-21
                                       13
methodology, and demonstrate that both the factual bases and the methodology

are reliable." Townsend, 221 N.J. at 55 (quoting Landrigan v. Celotex Corp.,

127 N.J. 404, 417 (1992)).

      Stated another way, an expert is required to "'give the why and wherefore'

that supports the opinion, 'rather than a mere conclusion.'" Id. at 54 (quoting

Borough of Saddle River v. 66 E. Allendale, LLC, 216 N.J. 115, 144 (2013)).

Our courts have recognized a wide array of sources that may satisfy this

requirement, including the witness's own extensive education, training and

experience, see, e.g., State v. Townsend, 186 N.J. 473, 495 (2006); Scully v.

Fitzgerald, 179 N.J. 114, 129 (2004); other scholarly studies within the field,

see, e.g., Hisenaj v. Kuehner, 194 N.J. 6, 24 (2008); "handbooks, manuals,

treatises, articles or trade publications" within a particular industry, Pomerantz

Paper Corp., 207 N.J. at 374; criteria found in government or private standard-

setting organizations, see, e.g., Grzanka v. Pfeifer, 301 N.J. Super. 563, 582

(App. Div. 1997); and trade-specific customs, see, e.g., Davis v. Brickman

Landscaping, Ltd., 219 N.J. 395, 413 (2014).

      Thus, "[t]he net opinion rule is succinctly defined as 'a prohibition against

speculative testimony.'" Harte v. Hand, 433 N.J. Super. 457, 465 (App. Div.

2013) (quoting Grzanka, 301 N.J. Super. at 580).          This results because a

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                                       14
speculating expert "ceases to be an aid to the trier of fact and becomes nothing

more than an additional juror," Jimenez, 286 N.J. Super. at 540, affording no

benefit to the fact finder, see N.J.R.E. 702.

                                        B.

      With these principles in view, we turn to plaintiff's overlapping

arguments. Initially, we part company with the motion judge's finding that

Guentzler was not qualified to render expert opinion in this matter. The judge

erroneously concluded plaintiff's expert was a chemist even though Guentzler's

resume makes no mention of chemistry and clearly reflects his expertise in

industrial technology.    For example, Guentzler's formal education included

advanced degrees in industrial technology; his licensure and certifications were

attained in driver and traffic safety education; and he was experienced as an

instructor in industrial technology and related disciplines. Based on Guentzler's

training and experience, we are satisfied he was qualified to render expert

opinion in this matter. See Bellardini, 222 N.J. Super. at 463.

      We next consider whether Guentzler's report cleared the net opinion

hurdle. Guentzler offered two theories of defective design: (1) the power

steering fluid reservoir was located "too close to the serpentine belt and [p]ower

                                                                            A-2841-21
                                       15
[s]teering fluid may contact the belt, causing the risk of injury"; and (2) the

Highlander's design without a belt guard "constitute[d] a design defect."

      Addressing his first opinion, Guentzler failed to explain the methodology

supporting his opinion, see Townsend, 221 N.J. at 55, or propose how the engine

could have been designed to eliminate the risk of injury, see Lewis, 155 N.J. at

569. Nor did Guentzler identify any relevant scholarly or trade publications

supporting an alternate design. See Pomerantz, 207 N.J. at 374. Contrary to

plaintiff's suggestion, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's

(OSHA) Rotating Access Guidelines, which warn of bodily injury when

machinery is characterized by "rotating . . . or accessible moving parts," do not

support Guentzler's theory of liability against TMS. These OSHA guidelines

"require[] employers to train employees in safe machine operation." They are

not directed at manufacturers.

      Guentzler's second theory of design defect is equally unsupported.

Guentzler's report indicates he only examined photographs of an exemplar

Highlander.    There is no competent evidence in the record that the 2004

Highlander at issue was sold without a belt guard, that an aftermarket guard had

been installed on the vehicle, or that it had not been altered after it was originally

sold by TMS. Guentzler did not cite the Highlander's design, maintenance, or

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                                        16
repair manuals. Crucially, Guentzler's opinion ignored plaintiff's testimony that

the incident occurred when he was replacing the serpentine belt guard while the

engine was running. There is no evidence in the record that plaintiff was injured

because the Highlander was designed without a belt guard. Because Guentzler's

opinion "lack[ed] an appropriate factual foundation," it constituted a net

opinion. See Pomerantz, 207 N.J. at 373.

      An automobile engine is a complex system, consisting of intricate moving

and interworking components in a relatively confined space. Accordingly,

expert testimony was required to prove plaintiff's design defect claim. See

Rocco, 330 N.J. Super. at 341; Jimenez, 286 N.J. Super. at 546. Because

Guentzler's opinion was net, lacking sufficient information to support a design

defect claim, we conclude plaintiff's complaint against TMS was properly

dismissed on summary judgment.

      Finally, we have considered plaintiff's circumstantial evidence argument

and conclude it lacks sufficient merit to warrant discussion in our written

opinion, R. 2:11-3(e)(1)(E), beyond the brief comments that follow.

      The incident in the present matter does not satisfy the rule set forth in

Myrlak, 157 N.J. Super. at 104, because it is not "of a kind that ordinarily occurs

as a result of a product defect" and was not "solely the result of causes other

                                                                             A-2841-21
                                       17
than product defect existing at the time of sale or distribution." When deposed,

plaintiff admitted the incident occurred while he was replacing the belt guard

with the engine running.

      Moreover, moving parts are inherent characteristics of an automobile

engine. Under the PLA, a manufacturer or seller is relieved of liability "for

harm allegedly caused by a product that was designed in a defective manner" if:

            The characteristics of the product are known to the
            ordinary consumer or user, and the harm was caused by
            an unsafe aspect of the product that is an inherent
            characteristic of the product and that would be
            recognized by the ordinary person who uses or
            consumes the product with the ordinary knowledge
            common to the class of persons for whom the product
            is intended . . . .

            [N.J.S.A. 2A:58C-3(a)(2).]

      Based on our review of the evidence in the record, we conclude plaintiff

has not demonstrated any defect in the Highlander's engine or its components

that caused his injury. We therefore discern no sound reason to vacate the order

dismissing his complaint.

      Affirmed.

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