Weisgram v. Marley Co.
United States Supreme Court
528 U.S. 440 (2000)
Weisgram (plaintiff) sued heater manufacturer Marley (defendant) after his mother died in a house fire allegedly caused by a defective baseboard heater, presenting expert testimony that the trial court admitted over Marley's Daubert-based objections and that led to a jury verdict for Weisgram; the court of appeals found the expert testimony inadmissible as unreliable and speculative, and held the remaining evidence insufficient to sustain the verdict, entering judgment for Marley outright rather than remanding for a new trial. Weisgram appealed that outright judgment.
Whether an appellate court may direct judgment as a matter of law for the defendant upon determining that evidence was erroneously admitted at trial and the remaining evidence cannot sustain the verdict.