Prentis v. Yale Manufacturing Co.
Michigan Supreme Court
365 N.W.2d 176 (Mich. 1984)
Relevant factsFree
John Prentis (plaintiff) was injured when a forklift manufactured by Yale (defendant), which had no seat or platform for the operator, caused him to fall; at trial the court combined his requested negligence and implied-warranty instructions into one unified negligent-design instruction, and the jury found for Yale. The appellate court reversed, holding the refusal to separately instruct on implied warranty was reversible error, and Yale appealed.
IssueFree
Whether, in a products-liability action against a manufacturer based on a defective-design theory, a jury needs to be instructed only on a unified theory of negligent design.