Jackson v. Alert Fire & Safety Equipment, Inc.

567 N.E.2d 1027, 58 Ohio St. 3d 48, 1991 Ohio LEXIS 407
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 6, 1991
DocketNo. 89-1770
StatusPublished
Cited by229 cases

This text of 567 N.E.2d 1027 (Jackson v. Alert Fire & Safety Equipment, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson v. Alert Fire & Safety Equipment, Inc., 567 N.E.2d 1027, 58 Ohio St. 3d 48, 1991 Ohio LEXIS 407 (Ohio 1991).

Opinions

Douglas, J.

The issue before this court focuses on whether the court of appeals properly concluded that summary judgment should be granted in favor of Alert and Murdock, and denied, except as to the intentional infliction of emotional distress claim, as to Levinson’s and Awning. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the court of appeals’ ruling.

I

Alert and Murdock

First we turn our attention to whether the trial court and court of appeals correctly determined that Alert and Murdock be granted summary judgment on Jackson’s and Kelley’s claims of strict liability and implied warranty in tort. This court, in Temple v. Wean United, Inc. (1977), 50 Ohio St. 2d 317, 4 O.O. 3d 466, 364 N.E. 2d 267, specifically adopted Section 402A of 2 Restatement of the Law 2d, Torts (1965) 347-348, as a plaintiff’s proper remedy for harm suffered from a seller’s defective product. In Temple, supra, at 320, 4 O.O. 3d at 468, 364 N.E. 2d at 270, we emphasized that strict liability in tort and implied warranty are “virtually indistinguishable,” and stated that a manufacturer or seller of a defective product, for purposes of strict liability, is liable to an injured party if the injured plaintiff proves that: “ ‘(1) There was, in fact, a defect in the product manufactured and sold by the defendant; (2) such defect existed at the time the product left the hands of the defendant; and (3) the defect was the direct and proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injuries or loss.’ * * *” (Citations omitted.) Id. at 321, 4 O.O. 3d at 468, 364 N.E. 2d at 270.

In cases subsequent to Temple, we adopted a consumer expectation standard to determine if a product is defective. This standard provides that a product may be deemed defective if it is more dangerous than an ordinary consumer would expect when used in an intended or reasonably foreseeable manner. See Leichtamer v. American Motors Corp. (1981), 67 Ohio St. 2d 456, 21 O.O. 3d 285, 424 N.E. 2d 568, paragraph two of the syllabus; Knitz v. Minster Machine Co. (1982), 69 Ohio St. 2d 460, 23 O.O. 3d 403, 432 N.E. 2d 814, syllabus3; State Farm Fire & Cas. Co. v. Chrysler Corp. (1988), 37 Ohio St. 3d 1, 523 N.E. 2d 489, paragraph three of the syllabus.

Notwithstanding common-law liability for a seller of a defective product as mentioned supra, the General [51]*51Assembly, pursuant to former R.C. 2305.33,4 provided certain non-manufacturing sellers of an allegedly defective product statutory relief from liability on causes of action based upon strict liability or implied warranty in tort. Alert and Murdock, in their summary judgment motions, sought to limit their liability under the statute.

R.C. 2305.33 provided, in general terms, that a seller, pursuant to Civ. R. 56, was entitled to summary judgment if the seller proves that: (1) it did not alter or fail to maintain the product while it was in the seller’s possession; (2) the manufacturer is amenable to suit and not financially insolvent; (3) the seller, upon request of the injured party, provides the person making the request with the name and address of the manufacturer; and (4) “[t]he seller did not have actual knowledge of the alleged defect in the product and, based upon facts available to him, could not have been expected to have had knowledge of the alleged defect * * *.” (Former R.C. 2305.33[B][1] through [4].) (140 Ohio Laws, Part I, 372-375.)

Jackson and Kelley do not contend that Alert and Murdock have failed to comply with R.C. 2305.33(B)(1) through (3). Rather, Jackson and Kelley assert Alert and Murdock have failed to offer probative evidence sufficient to satisfy the prerequisites of section (B)(4) of the statute. Specifically, Jackson and Kelley urge that the affidavits attached in support of Alert’s and Murdock’s motions are “self-serving conclusory statements” and, therefore, are insufficient to warrant summary judgment. Jackson and Kelley also suggest they have presented sufficient counterbalancing evidence, thus creating a genuine issue of fact for trial.

Civ. R. 56 is the rudimentary authority and controls our determination as to whether Alert and Murdock are entitled to summary judgment under R.C. 2305.33(B)(4). Specifically at issue here are those requirements found in sections (C) and (E) of the rule.

Civ. R. 56(C) provides, in part, that: “Summary judgment shall be rendered forthwith if the pleading, depositions, answers to interrogatories, written admissions, affidavits, transcripts of evidence in the pending case, and written stipulations of fact * * * show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. * * *” (Emphasis added.) Hence, given the explicit language of Civ. R. 56(C), a court is not limited to review of the moving party’s affidavit(s) attached in support of his or her motion for summary judgment. More appropriately, the court may examine all evidence properly before it. Such evidence may include pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, written admissions, affidavits, transcripts and written stipulations of fact.

Equally important to our resolution of this issue are those requirements found in Civ. R. 56(E). This section provides in part: “When a motion for summary judgment is made and supported as provided in this rule, an adverse party may not rest upon mere allegations or denials of his pleadings, but his response, by affidavit or as otherwise provided in this rule, must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” (Emphasis added.) In reading [52]*52section (C) in association with section (E), it can be readily seen that once a party moves for summary judgment and has supported his or her motion by sufficient and acceptable evidence, the party opposing the motion has a reciprocal burden to respond by affidavit or as provided in section (C) setting forth specific facts explaining that a genuine issue for trial exists. See Mitseff v. Wheeler (1988), 38 Ohio St. 3d 112, 115, 526 N.E. 2d 798, 801.

Turning to the facts at bar, Alert and Murdock, in support of their motions for summary judgment, attached the affidavits of Thomas E. Dauchy, Alert’s President, and Thomas A. Price, Murdock’s Chairman, Treasurer and CEO. Dauchy’s and Price’s affidavits stated that their respective corporations “did not have actual knowledge of the alleged defect in * * * [the] gloves and, based upon facts available to * * * [them], could not have been expected to have knowledge of the alleged defect in * * * [the] gloves * * In addition, Alert and Murdock filed a supplemental memorandum in support of their motion. The memorandum included answers to interrogatories. Alert, in response to an interrogatory submitted by Kelley, stated that “* * * it is a well known fact that [Nitty Gritty or Polar Bear] gloves * * * should not be used in structural firefighting circumstances [and] [t]hese gloves are not designed for super heated situations, but could be used for salvage and overhaul operations to keep hands dean and dry.” Similarly, Murdock responded to an interrogatory submitted by Kelley and stated that it was not engaged in the business of selling fire protection equipment; Nitty Gritty 93 NFW gloves are coated with rubber and are not manufactured for use in firefighting applications; and the gloves are designed to keep hands warm and dry and for protection against abrasions.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
567 N.E.2d 1027, 58 Ohio St. 3d 48, 1991 Ohio LEXIS 407, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-v-alert-fire-safety-equipment-inc-ohio-1991.