Friedman v. General Motors Corp.

Morton Friedman (plaintiff) turned his car's ignition key while it was in "drive," not expecting it to start, but the car started and lurched forward, injuring him and his family. At trial, Friedman established the car could not have started unless the neutral start switch's contacts were in "neutral" or "park," and he sued General Motors (defendant), claiming the gearshift contacts were defectively linked to the wrong functions. The trial court granted GMC a directed verdict, the appellate court reversed, and GMC appealed.