Bailey v. Cottrell, Inc.

721 S.E.2d 571, 313 Ga. App. 371, 2012 Fulton County D. Rep. 19, 2011 WL 5924673, 2011 Ga. App. LEXIS 1064
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedNovember 29, 2011
DocketA11A1180
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 721 S.E.2d 571 (Bailey v. Cottrell, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bailey v. Cottrell, Inc., 721 S.E.2d 571, 313 Ga. App. 371, 2012 Fulton County D. Rep. 19, 2011 WL 5924673, 2011 Ga. App. LEXIS 1064 (Ga. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinions

Adams, Judge.

In this products liability case, appellants Steve Bailey and Laura Bailey appeal the trial court’s order granting summary judgment under Indiana law to Cottrell, Inc. in the Baileys’ suit to recover for injuries Steve Bailey sustained when he fell from the top level of a car-hauler/tractor-trailer rig. Because we find that the trial court erred in failing to apply Georgia law to the Baileys’ claims, we reverse.

At all pertinent times, the Baileys were residents of Missouri. Cottrell, Inc. is a Georgia corporation engaged in the design, development and manufacture of car hauling equipment. Steve Bailey worked as a driver for a car-hauling company, Jack Cooper Transport (“JCT”), out of Wentzville, Missouri. The accident at issue occurred in Indiana on October 28, 2005, while Steve Bailey was loading pickup trucks onto his assigned car-hauler, a 1998 Cottrell rig owned by JCT. After Steve Bailey loaded an extended-cab pickup truck with a camper top onto an area called the “headramp,” which is located on top of the tractor, he stepped out of the pickup to dismount from the headramp’s upper level. Steve Bailey, who was wearing work gloves, stuck his right fingers into the top of the doorjamb above the [372]*372rear door of the pickup, while closing the pickup’s driver door with his left hand. As Steve Bailey closed the door, the air from inside the pickup blew against his right hand, dislodging his fingers. Losing his grip, he fell backward onto the parking lot surface below. Steve Bailey asserts that he sustained traumatic injuries in the fall that have left him disabled.

The Baileys allege that the car-hauler Steve Bailey was using was designed, manufactured and sold by Cottrell with inadequate space for maneuvering and with no fall prevention devices, such as safety chains or grab bars on the rig’s upper level, despite the fact that Cottrell knew that drivers like Steve Bailey would be required to load and unload automobiles from that area. Cottrell counters that Steve Bailey had knowledge of these supposed defects in the rig, as well as the knowledge of the specific risks of falling, and that he understood, appreciated and assumed these risks. The trial court, applying Indiana law, found that Steve Bailey voluntarily assumed the risk of working on the upper level of the car hauler and granted Cottrell’s motion for summary judgment.

On appeal from the grant of summary judgment this Court conducts a de novo review of the evidence to determine whether there is a genuine issue of material fact and whether the undisputed facts, viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, warrant judgment as a matter of law.

(Citations omitted.) Campbell v. The Landings Assn., 289 Ga. 617, 618 (713 SE2d 860) (2011).

1. The Baileys first argue that the trial court erred in applying Indiana law to their claims. Although the injury occurred in Indiana and the Baileys acknowledge that Georgia generally applies lex loci delecti (the law of the place where the tort was committed), they assert that the trial court should have applied the public policy exception to the general rule. The Baileys contend that Indiana law violates Georgia public policy in two respects: (1) Indiana law does not allow a strict liability claim for a product design defect with a risk-utility test, while Georgia does; and (2) Indiana law, as applied by the trial court, eliminated the voluntariness element for an assumption of risk defense, which they contend contravenes Georgia public policy.

In Georgia, “[u]nder lex loci delicti, tort cases are governed by the substantive law of the state where the tort or wrong occurred — in this case, [Indiana].” (Footnote omitted.) Bagnell v. Ford Motor Co., 297 Ga. App. 835, 836 (1) (678 SE2d 489) (2009). See also Dowis v. Mud Slingers, 279 Ga. 808, 816 (621 SE2d 413) (2005) (reaffirming [373]*373lex loci delecti as the law in Georgia). But as the Baileys correctly note, Georgia recognizes a public policy exception to the rule of lex loci delecti.

Even if an application [of the rule of lex loci delicti] renders the law of another state applicable, the forum, within constitutional limits, is not required to give the law of another state extra-territorial effect. That is only done as a matter of courtesy or comity, which will not be enforced if the law of the other state contravenes the public policy of the forum. See OCGA § 1-3-9; Commercial Credit Plan v. Parker, 152 Ga. App. 409 (263 SE2d 220) (1979).

Fed. Ins. Co. v. Nat. Distrib. Co., 203 Ga. App. 763, 765-766 (417 SE2d 671) (1992).

(a) Georgia law recognizes a product liability claim based upon strict liability against “those actively involved in the design, specifications, or formulation of a defective final product or of a defective component part which failed during use of a product and caused injury.” (Citation omitted.) Davenport v. Cummins Alabama, Inc., 284 Ga. App. 666, 671 (1) (644 SE2d 503) (2007). See OCGA § 51-1-11. Indiana law, however, does not recognize a strict liability claim for design defects:

The Indiana Product Liability Act generally imposes strict liability for physical harm caused by a product in an unreasonably dangerous defective condition. Ind. Code § 34-20-2-1. For actions based on an alleged product design defect, however, the Act departs from strict liability and specifies a different standard of proof: “(T)he party making the claim must establish that the manufacturer or seller failed to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances in designing the product.” Ind. Code § 34-20-2-2.

TRW Vehicle Safety Systems v. Moore, 936 NE2d 201, 209 (1) (Ind. Sup. 2010) (declining to expand the statutory standard of care for product liability claims alleging a design defect). Thus, Indiana only recognizes a negligent design defect claim. Id. at 214 (5). The issue before us, therefore, is whether this distinction in Indiana law violates Georgia public policy. We conclude that it does.

In Alexander v. Gen. Motors Corp., 267 Ga. 339 (478 SE2d 123) (1996), “Alexander was injured while driving in Virginia when the driver’s seat of his General Motors [“GM”] vehicle, purchased new in Georgia, failed in a collision and caused him to be ejected from the vehicle.” The trial court, applying Virginia’s substantive law under [374]*374lex loci delecti, dismissed Alexander’s strict liability claims because the State of Virginia did not recognize strict liability. This Court affirmed the trial court’s application of Virginia law. Alexander v. Gen. Motors Corp., 219 Ga. App. 660 (466 SE2d 607) (1995). But the Supreme Court reversed, holding that Virginia law contravened the public policy underlying OCGA § 51-1-11, which “was intended to protect those who are injured by defective products placed in the stream of commerce in this state” and that Alexander was entitled to have Georgia law applied to his claims against GM. Alexander v. Gen.

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Bailey v. Cottrell, Inc.
721 S.E.2d 571 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 2011)

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721 S.E.2d 571, 313 Ga. App. 371, 2012 Fulton County D. Rep. 19, 2011 WL 5924673, 2011 Ga. App. LEXIS 1064, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bailey-v-cottrell-inc-gactapp-2011.