Richetta v. Stanley Fastening Systems, L.P.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
661 F.Supp.2d 500 (2009)
Construction worker Bruce Richetta (plaintiff) set his pneumatic nail gun atop a six-foot ladder, still connected to its air compressor, and left to get tools. The gun fell, discharging a nail into his chest. Bruce and his wife Melissa (plaintiffs) sued manufacturer Stanley Fastening Systems, L.P. (defendant), claiming the gun was defectively designed for lacking a safety switch or trigger lock. Stanley moved for summary judgment, arguing Richetta wasn't an intended user, that its warnings made the design safe, and that Richetta's own conduct -- not the design -- caused the injury.
Whether a claimant can establish a defective product design by showing a reasonable alternative design was available at the time of manufacture and would have prevented a foreseeable injury.