Guadamud v. Dentsply International, Inc.

Rosa Guadamud (plaintiff) was licensed to practice dentistry in Ecuador but failed the U.S. National Board Examination required for a New York license; she nonetheless opened an unlicensed dental practice, a felony under New York law. While using a syringe to prepare a patient's teeth, the syringe exploded and injured her, and she sued the manufacturer, Dentsply (defendant), for products liability. Dentsply conceded the product was defective for purposes of its summary judgment motion, arguing instead that Guadamud's own illegal conduct barred recovery.