Thursday, December 3, 2015

Ford Motor Co. v. Matthews case brief

Ford Motor Co. v. Matthews case brief
1974 - Mississippi
Facts: Matthews was killed as a result of being run over by his tractor and dragged underneath a disc attachment. The tractor was equipped with a safety switch which was designed to prevent the tractor from being started in gear. There is evidence to show that Matthews was standing next to his tractor and that it was in gear. Plaintiff wins on a bench trial. 
Decision: Affirmed
Reasoning: Defense argues that if an injury results from abnormal handling of even a defective product, the manufacturer is not liable. However, the court said that even though he may have been misusing the tractor, it should have been a foreseeable danger that the company would know about, and should protect for. 

Holding: A plaintiff can still recover for damages as a result of a defect in a product even though he was misusing it when the misuse of the product was foreseeable by the company under strict liability. 

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