Compliance Evidence Not Admissible in Product Defect Cases, Pa. High Court Rules



DOCUMENTS
  • Opinion


HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court has ruled that in defending product defect claims, manufacturers or sellers may not present evidence that their product was designed or manufactured to meet industrywide customs and practices or applicable government standards.

In a Dec. 22 opinion, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court concluded that “compliance evidence does not prove any characteristic of the product.”

“Rather, it diverts attention from the product’s attributes to both the manufacturer’s conduct and whether a standards-issuing organization would consider the product to be free from defects. Neither of these considerations are pertinent to a risk-utility analysis,” the court concluded.

Pennsylvania …






UPCOMING CONFERENCES




HarrisMartin's MDL Conference

March 26, 2025 - Charlotte, NC
Omni Charlotte Hotel

MORE DETAILS



HarrisMartin's Webinar Series: Fire Litigation Presented by EisnerAmper

March 11, 2025

MORE DETAILS