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Cornell University Law School

Torts

Defective product designs

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Manufacturer's Liability For Defective Product Designs: The Triumph Of Risk-Utility, Aaron Twerski, James A. Henderson Jr. Apr 2009

Manufacturer's Liability For Defective Product Designs: The Triumph Of Risk-Utility, Aaron Twerski, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


A Fictional Tale Of Unintended Consequences: A Response To Professor Wertheimer, Aaron Twerski, James A. Henderson Jr. Apr 2005

A Fictional Tale Of Unintended Consequences: A Response To Professor Wertheimer, Aaron Twerski, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Consumer Expectations' Last Hope: A Response To Professor Kysar, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski Nov 2003

Consumer Expectations' Last Hope: A Response To Professor Kysar, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The authors agree with Professor Kysar that the current version of the consumer expectations test for design defectiveness is an amorphous, unprincipled misreading of section 402A of the Restatement (Second) of Torts. And they agree that most courts apply risk-utility balancing in determining design defectiveness. But they disagree with Kysar's proposal to supplement risk-utility balancing with a reinvigorated consumer expectations test based on expert testimony regarding what consumers actually expect in the way of design safety. Judicial reliance on such testimony would be susceptible to result-oriented manipulation by litigants, would not guide manufacturers in making sensible design choices, would pressure …


Ethics Of Enterprise Liability In Product Design And Marketing Litigation, James A. Henderson Jr. May 2002

Ethics Of Enterprise Liability In Product Design And Marketing Litigation, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

American courts talk as though they are imposing strict enterprise liability on product manufacturers, but in truth they do so only with respect to manufacturing defects. In product design and marketing litigation, manufacturers' liability is based on fault. The reason why strict liability is inappropriate for the generic product hazards associated with design and marketing is that, in sharp contrast to manufacturing defects, the conditions necessary for insurance to function are not satisfied. Users and consumers control generic product risks to a sufficiently great extent that any insurance scheme based on strict enterprise liability would be destroyed by combinations of …


Doctrinal Collapse In Products Liability: The Empty Shell Of Failure To Warn, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski May 1990

Doctrinal Collapse In Products Liability: The Empty Shell Of Failure To Warn, James A. Henderson Jr., Aaron Twerski

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Liability for a manufacturer's failure to warn of product-related risks is a well-established feature of modern products liability law. Yet many serious doctrinal and conceptual problems underlie these claims. Professors Henderson and Twerski explore these problems and argue that failure-to-warn jurisprudence is confused, perhaps irreparably, and that this confusion often results in the imposition of excessive liability on manufacturers. The authors begin by exposing basic errors resulting from courts' confusion over whether to apply a strict liability or a negligence standard of care in failure-to-warn cases. Having determined that negligence is the appropriate standard, they then examine more substantial and …


Manufacturers' Liability For Defective Product Design: A Proposed Statutory Reform, James A. Henderson Jr. May 1978

Manufacturers' Liability For Defective Product Design: A Proposed Statutory Reform, James A. Henderson Jr.

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

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