Demara v. Raymond Corp.

221 Cal. Rptr. 3d 102, 13 Cal. App. 5th 545, 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 623
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedJune 21, 2017
DocketD068533
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 221 Cal. Rptr. 3d 102 (Demara v. Raymond Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Demara v. Raymond Corp., 221 Cal. Rptr. 3d 102, 13 Cal. App. 5th 545, 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 623 (Cal. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

AARON, J.

*549In this products liability case, plaintiffs Kawika Demara (Demara) and Sandra Demara (together, Plaintiffs) appeal from a summary judgment granted in favor of *107defendants The Raymond Corporation (Raymond) and Raymond Handling Solutions, Inc. (RHSI) (together, Defendants). As relevant to this appeal, Plaintiffs asserted claims for strict liability and negligence based on injuries Demara suffered allegedly as a result of design defects in a forklift designed by Raymond and sold by RHSI.

Depending on the facts of a given case, a claim based on an alleged design defect can be proven by a plaintiff under the consumer expectation test, where the plaintiff proves that "the product failed to perform as safely as an ordinary consumer would expect when used in an intended or reasonably foreseeable manner"; additionally, such a claim can be defeated by a defendant under the risk-benefit test (where, after the plaintiff presents a prima facie case that a product's design caused damages, the defendant proves that "on balance, the benefits of the challenged design outweigh the risk of danger inherent in such design"). ( Barker v. Lull Engineering Co. (1978) 20 Cal.3d 413, 432, 143 Cal.Rptr. 225, 573 P.2d 443 ( Barker ); see id. at p. 435, 143 Cal.Rptr. 225, 573 P.2d 443.) In granting summary judgment, the trial court ruled, in part, as follows: (1) Plaintiffs did not establish a triable issue of material fact as to causation; (2) the consumer expectation test did not apply as a matter of law; and (3) for purposes of applying the risk-benefit test, even if Plaintiffs had shown a triable issue of material fact as to causation, Defendants established the requisite elements for the application of the risk-benefit test, and Plaintiffs did not establish a triable issue of material fact as to whether the benefits of the design outweighed the risks of the design.

We conclude that the trial court erred in these rulings. First, because Plaintiffs' showing as to causation was more than negligible or theoretical, it was sufficient to defeat summary judgment. Second, Defendants did not meet their burden of establishing as a matter of law that the consumer expectation test does not apply to Plaintiffs' claims. Third, in applying the risk-benefit test, Defendants failed to present sufficient evidence to shift the burden to *550Plaintiffs to show a triable issue of material fact. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment and remand with instructions to deny Defendants' motion.

I.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

" 'Because this case comes before us after the trial court granted a motion for summary judgment, we take the facts from the record that was before the trial court when it ruled on that motion.' " ( Wilson v. 21st Century Ins. Co. (2007) 42 Cal.4th 713, 716-717, 68 Cal.Rptr.3d 746, 171 P.3d 1082.) We consider all the evidence in the moving and opposing papers, except evidence to which objections were made and sustained, liberally construing and reasonably deducing inferences from Plaintiffs' evidence, resolving any doubts in the evidence in Plaintiffs' favor. ( Id. at p. 717, 68 Cal.Rptr.3d 746, 171 P.3d 1082 ; Code Civ. Proc., § 437c, subd. (c).)

The product at issue in this lawsuit is a Raymond 7400 series narrow aisle reach forklift, model 740-R35TT and serial number 740-06-DA04252 (Subject Lift). The Subject Lift was designed by Raymond and sold by RHSI to Seltzer Chemicals. It was manufactured (by Raymond) in January 2006 as a special order-built to the specifications of Seltzer Chemicals, which later became known as Glanbia Nutritionals (NA), Inc. (Glanbia).

Each of the lifts in the Raymond 7400 series (which includes the Subject Lift) has both an electric drive wheel and a caster *108wheel in the rear. Linked together, these two wheels turn in unison, which allows the lift to pivot as the drive wheel is steered. For example, as the back of the lift swings to its left in reverse, the drive wheel becomes the leading edge as the lift turns.

When it designed the 7400 series, Raymond knew that the lifts would be used in and around warehouse workers. In addition, Raymond knew that if the moving drive wheel came into contact with any body part, the body part could be crushed. The design includes an open area around the drive wheel with no guards, gates, skirts or bumpers. The design also includes an optional amber light that flashes as a warning to pedestrian workers and others in the area when the lift is in use. This light can be attached to the metal guard above the driver's compartment to one side of the lift-with either a top mount, so that the light shines above the guard, or a bottom mount, so that the light shines below the guard. The Subject Lift specially ordered by Seltzer Chemicals had the optional warning light attached to the guard with a top mount.

On September 29, 2011, the Glanbia warehouse in Carlsbad was busy and noisy with lifts operating and pedestrians walking in and around the area of *551the accident.1 Demara, who worked as a truck driver for Glanbia, was walking through the warehouse; the Subject Lift was backing up, changing direction and turning to the left with its left rear corner out in front. As the Subject Lift continued its left turn in reverse, the drive wheel-which is located in the left rear corner of the lift and was thus leading the turn-ran over Demara's right foot, crushing it. Prior to being struck, Demara did not see the Subject Lift or its warning light. As a result of the injury, Demara has had numerous surgeries on his foot and remains permanently disabled and in pain.

II.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

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Bluebook (online)
221 Cal. Rptr. 3d 102, 13 Cal. App. 5th 545, 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 623, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/demara-v-raymond-corp-calctapp5d-2017.