Booth v. Black & Decker, Inc.

Jacob Booth's (plaintiff) house caught fire; the fire marshal blamed Booth's microwave, but Booth sued Black & Decker (defendant), maker of his toaster oven, on a manufacturing-defect theory. His expert theorized that the toaster's power contacts had welded together and started the fire, testifying that he saw melting and scoring indicative of welding, but offering little explanation of his methods. The court held a Daubert hearing on the reliability of the testimony, and the defendant moved for summary judgment.

Whether expert testimony that has not been shown to be reliable under the Daubert standard is admissible.