Products Liability Cases in General

• Author: Larry Booth/Roger Booth
• Pages: 343-362

11-1 (Rev. 2, 11/13)

Chapter 11

PRODUCTS LIABILITY CASES

IN GENERAL

I. ELEMENTS OF CAUSE OF ACTION AND DEFENSES

A. Theories of Liability

§11:01 In General

§11:02 Products Liability in Industrial Equipment and Automobile Crashworthiness

§11:03 Historical Antecedents of Products Liability

§11:04 What Makes a Product Defective?

§11:05 Liability Without Fault

§11:06 Failure to Warn—The Last Resort

§11:07 Negligence

B. Defenses and Defense Strategies

§11:20 State of the Art

§11:21 Plaintiff’s Negligence

§11:22 Employer Negligence

§11:23 Component Manufacturers

II. INTERVIEW AND INVESTIGATION

A. Interview

§11:30 Form: Interview Questions for Plaintiff; Products Liability

B. Investigation

§11:40 Secure the Product

§11:41 Obtain Sales Literature and Owners’ Manuals

§11:42 Search for Safer Competing Products and Patents

§11:43 Review All Literature and Find Warnings to Defuse Improper Use

§11:44 Hire the Best Expert

§11:45 Private Airplane Crashes

III. PLEADINGS

§11:50 Complaint

§11:51 Avoid Removal

§11:52 Answer

Personal Injury Handbook 11-2

IV. PLAINTIFF’S WRITTEN DISCOVERY

§11:60 General Information About Plaintiff’s Written Discovery

§11:61 Form: Interrogatories to Manufacturer

§11:62 Form: Requests for Admissions to Manufacturer

§11:63 Form: Requests for Production of Documents From Manufacturer

V. DEPOSITIONS

A. Deposing Defense Witnesses

§11:70 Defense Employees

§11:71 Defense Expert Deposition Checklist

B. Preparing Plaintiff’s Witnesses for Depositions

§11:80 Plaintiff’s Deposition Preparation Checklist

§11:81 Plaintiff’s Expert Preparation Checklist

VI. MOTIONS

§11:90 Motion to Obtain Owners’ Manuals, Sales Literature, Safety Videos and Design Data

§11:91 Motion to Obtain Records of Prior Incidents and Claims

VII. SETTLEMENT STRATEGIES

§11:100 Self-Insured Defendants

§11:101 Defense Concerns—Nationwide Strategy

§11:102 Multiple Mediations

§11:103 Form: Mediation Brief; Products Liability Case

VIII. TRIAL PREPARATION

A. In General

§11:110 Use and Display Safer Products

§11:111 Use Prior Accidents

§11:112 Order of Proof

§11:113 Trial Notebooks

B. Jury Selection

§11:120 Focus Groups

§11:121 Voir Dire

§11:122 Form: Juror Questionnaire or Voir Dire Questions; Products Liability Case

§11:123 Jurors to Select and Jurors to Avoid

C. Opening Statement and Closing Argument

§11:130 Opening Statement Checklist

§11:131 Closing Argument Themes