Ferdig v. Melitta, Inc.

320 N.W.2d 369, 115 Mich. App. 340
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 21, 1982
DocketDocket 51256
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 320 N.W.2d 369 (Ferdig v. Melitta, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ferdig v. Melitta, Inc., 320 N.W.2d 369, 115 Mich. App. 340 (Mich. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinions

J. H. Gillis, P.J.

Plaintiff appeals by right from the trial court’s denial of her motion for a new trial.

Plaintiff brought suit to recover damages for injuries she sustained when hot water spilled on her legs while she was using a coffee filtering apparatus manufactured by defendant Melitta and sold to the plaintiff by defendant J. L. Hudson Company (hereinafter Hudson’s). Plaintiff’s theories against both defendants included negligence, breach of implied warranty and breach of express warranty.

In support of her claim that her injuries resulted from a defect in the plastic coffee-filter top, the plaintiff presented the testimony of a registered professional engineer. This expert testified that he had examined the filter top in question along with the instruction pamphlet and the glass coffee pot purchased by the plaintiff. He noted that the instructions pictured a glass coffee pot, similar to that purchased by plaintiff, being used with the Melitta filter holder. The expert testified that the accident occurred because the coffee filter holder did not sit flat on the coffee pot because of a ridge around the periphery of the disc-shaped base of the filter. It was the expert’s opinion that the disc on the filter was too small and would slip sideways approximately one inch and could easily spill its contents of hot water if it were bumped. The [345]*345expert noted that there were no warnings in the instructions that cautioned a user about this danger. Although the expert also testified that the filter device used by the plaintiff had no clamping or locking device to prevent it from slipping off center, this testimony was stricken on a motion of defense counsel on the ground that the lack of such devices was irrelevant to the present case.

At the close of plaintiff’s proofs, the trial court granted a directed verdict in favor of Hudson’s on the negligence and express warranty allegations. The remaining claims by agreement of the parties were submitted to the jury by way of a special verdict form. The jury found that: 1) Melitta was negligent and that such negligence was a proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injuries and damages; 2) the plaintiff was negligent and that her negligence was a proximate cause of her injuries and damages; 3) as to the relative negligence of each, Melitta was 15% negligent and the plaintiff was 85% negligent; and 4) Melitta’s breach of an express warranty was a proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injuries. The jury further found that neither Melitta nor Hudson’s were liable on a breach of implied warranty theory. The jury assessed damages at $10,000. The court’s order of judgment reduced the damages by 85% and entered a judgment in the amount of $1,500 to reflect the jury’s finding that plaintiff was 85% negligent.

Plaintiff first argues that the trial judge committed three errors regarding the admission of proofs on the issue of defective design of the coffee filter. First, she argues that the lower court erred in granting defendants’ motion in limine which prohibited plaintiff from showing any exhibits of other, safer products to the jury until it was established that these exhibits were manufactured [346]*346prior to her accident. Next, plaintiff argues that the trial judge erred in ruling that the proposed exhibit number 21 was inadmissible. This exhibit, another coffee filter device manufactured by defendant Melitta which plaintiff argues was of a safer design, was purchased shortly after plaintiff’s accident. The plaintiff testified that this safer device was one of the items pictured on a box of coffee filters that she purchased prior to her accident. Finally, plaintiff argues that the trial judge erred in striking the testimony of her expert that there were no clamping or locking devices on the coffee filter purchased by the plaintiff that would have prevented it from slipping slightly off center.

With regard to the first two of these evidentiary rulings, it is apparent that the trial judge was concerned that improper evidence of subsequent remedial measures not be introduced in contravention of MRE 407. At the outset of the trial, the judge made it clear to the plaintiff that she could not introduce evidence of any safety devices until she had shown that they predated the accident. Plaintiff attempted to show this but was unable to do so. The record reflects that the trial judge carefully considered the evidence presented by the plaintiff and determined that it was inadequate to prove that the safer products predated the accident. Based on the record before us, we cannot say that the trial judge abused his discretion. Gaydos v White Motor Corp, 54 Mich App 143; 220 NW2d 697 (1974).

Further, during the cross-examination of an expert witness offered by defendant Melitta, the plaintiff’s exhibits were admitted into evidence. Thus, the plaintiff was permitted to show to the jury that safer products existed. Any error in the trial judge’s initial exclusion of plaintiff’s exhibits [347]*347from evidence was rendered harmless. The fact that the plaintiff chose not to recall her expert to the stand to elicit further testimony based upon these exhibits undermines her argument that she was deprived of valuable testimony of her expert witness on the state of the art.

With respect to the plaintiff’s third claim of error, that the trial judge improperly struck from the record her expert’s testimony that there was no clamping or locking device on the coffee filter purchased by the plaintiff that would have prevented it from slipping off center, we agree that this ruling was erroneous. Plaintiff’s complaint alleges that defendant Melitta either designed or marketed a coffee filtering device in a manner that provided no means of preventing it from slipping sideways and becoming unstable. Therefore, it is clear that the testimony of the plaintiff’s expert was relevant. The question then becomes whether the trial judge’s erroneous ruling was harmless. We believe that it was.

The coffee filter purchased by the plaintiff that caused her injuries was introduced into evidence at trial and was available for the jury’s inspection. Even a cursory inspection of the filter shows that there is no clamping or locking device on it. Thus, although the plaintiff’s expert witness was not permitted to testify as to the absence of such clamps or locking devices, it would be against logic and reason for us to hold that the jury was not aware of the absence of such devices.

The plaintiff challenges the trial court’s reduction of damages from $10,000 to $1,500 arguing that because the jury found liability based upon an express warranty in addition to its finding of liability based upon negligence, no reduction should have been made. We presume, as does the [348]*348plaintiff, that the trial court’s reduction of the judgment was based on application of the statute on comparative negligence in products liability cases, which reads as follows:

"In all products liability actions brought to recover damages resulting from death or injury to person or property, the fact that the plaintiff may have been guilty of contributory negligence shall not bar a recovery by the plaintiff or the plaintiffs legal representatives, but damages sustained by the plaintiff shall be diminished in proportion to the amount of negligence attributed to the plaintiff.” MCL 600.2949(1); MSA 27A.2949(1).

The question before us then is whether this statute applies where liability is based upon an express warranty.

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Related

Sweetman v. State Highway Department
357 N.W.2d 783 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1984)
Gorelick v. Department of State Highways
339 N.W.2d 635 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1983)
Ferdig v. Melitta, Inc.
320 N.W.2d 369 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1982)

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Bluebook (online)
320 N.W.2d 369, 115 Mich. App. 340, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ferdig-v-melitta-inc-michctapp-1982.