Daniell v. Ford Motor Co.
United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
581 F.Supp. 728 (1984)
In a suicide attempt, Connie Daniell (plaintiff) locked herself in her Ford LTD's trunk for nine days; she sued Ford (defendant) for negligence, strict products liability, and breach of express and implied warranties, claiming the trunk was defectively designed for lacking an internal release mechanism, and Ford moved for summary judgment.
(1) Whether, under negligence and strict product liability theories, a plaintiff's design defect claim requires evidence that the product was unreasonably dangerous to the user and the risk of harm was foreseeable by the manufacturer; (2) whether a plaintiff's express warranty claim requires evidence that a defendant's promises regarding a sold product were not accurate; (3) whether a plaintiff's breach of implied warranty of merchantability claim requires evidence that the product was unfit for the ordinary purposes for which the good is sold; and (4) whether a plaintiff's breach of implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose requires evidence that the item purchased was intended for a specific purpose.