Vautour v. Body Masters Sports Industries, Inc.
New Hampshire Supreme Court
784 A.2d 1178 (2001)
David Vautour was injured using a leg press machine manufactured by Body Masters Sports Industries, Inc. (Body Masters) (defendant); Vautour and his wife (plaintiffs) sued asserting strict liability and negligence design-defect claims. Vautour's expert testified the machine's design was hazardous because it could be used without engaging its safety stops, and proposed his own mechanically feasible, safer alternative design, but failed to specifically testify how that alternative design would have prevented Vautour's particular injuries. The lower court granted Body Masters a directed verdict on this basis, and Vautour appealed, arguing he shouldn't need to prove a reasonable alternative design as an additional required element of his claim.
Whether a plaintiff in a design defect case is required to prove that a reasonable alternative design existed for the product.