Nielson v. Harley Davidson Motor Company Group

CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedNovember 22, 2019
Docket4:18-cv-00013
StatusUnknown

This text of Nielson v. Harley Davidson Motor Company Group (Nielson v. Harley Davidson Motor Company Group) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nielson v. Harley Davidson Motor Company Group, (D. Utah 2019).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF UTAH

ANGELA K. NIELSON, individually and MEMORANDUM DECISION on behalf of THE ESTATE OF BRETT W. AND ORDER DENYING MOTION NIELSON; RYLEE NIELSON; ERIC FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT NIELSON; and LINDA NIELSON, AND INVITATION FOR BRIEFING RE: Plaintiffs, CERTIFICATION OF QUESTION TO UTAH SUPREME COURT v.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY GROUP, LLC; GOODYEAR Case No. 4:18-cv-00013-DN-PK DUNLOP TIRES NORTH AMERICA, LTD.; THE GOODYEAR TIRE & District Judge David Nuffer RUBBER CO.; SUMITOMO RUBBER USA, LLC.; and BELLINGHAM Magistrate Judge Paul Kohler HARLEY-DAVIDSON, INC.,

Defendants.

This action arises from a motorcycle accident allegedly caused by a sudden and catastrophic failure of the motorcycle’s rear tire (the “Deflated Tire”).1 Plaintiffs assert three causes of action against Defendant Harley-Davidson Motor Company Group, LLC (“Harley- Davidson”) regarding the Deflated Tire: (1) negligence and gross negligence;2 (2) strict liability;3 and (3) breach of warranty.4

1 Second Amended Complaint ¶ 19, docket no. 57, filed May 2, 2019. 2 Id. at ¶ 29 at 6, ¶¶ 59-60 at 11-12. 3 Id. at ¶ 68 at 13, ¶¶ 87, 90-91 at 17. 4 Id. ¶ 98 at 19. Harley-Davidson’s Motion for Summary Judgment5 argues that Plaintiffs’ claims fail because Plaintiffs cannot present evidence that Harley-Davidson designed, manufactured, distributed, or sold the Deflated Tire. Because genuine issues of material fact exist regarding Harley-Davidson’s role as a designer, manufacturer, and distributor, Harley-Davidson’s Motion for Summary Judgment6 is DENIED.

Additionally, because it appears the portion of Plaintiffs’ strict liability claim alleging Harley-Davidson’s liability as a distributor may turn on an unanswered question of Utah state law, the parties are invited to address possible certification of the question of Utah law’s application of the apparent-manufacturer doctrine to the Utah Supreme Court pursuant to Rule 41(a) of the Utah Rules of Appellate Procedure.

Table of Contents BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................ 3 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................. 4 Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint mooted Harley-Davidson’s summary judgment arguments relating to the Motorcycle ..................................................................... 4 Harley-Davidson’s remaining arguments regarding the Deflated Tire must be analyzed in the context of the allegations in Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint .............. 5 Genuine issues of material fact exist regarding Harley-Davidson’s role as a designer and manufacturer of the Deflated Tire ........................................................................... 8 Genuine issues of material fact exist regarding whether Harley-Davidson is in the Deflated Tire’s chain of distribution ..................................................................... 10 The parties are invited to brief possible certification to the Utah Supreme Court of the application of the apparent-manufacturer doctrine in Utah .................................. 12 ORDER ......................................................................................................................................... 16

5 Motion for Final Summary Judgment and Supporting Memorandum of Law (“Motion for Summary Judgment”) at 2; ¶ 8 at 4, docket no. 47, filed Mar. 29, 2019. 6 Id. BACKGROUND On April 22, 2016, Brett W. Nielson and his wife, Angela K. Nielson, were riding their 1995 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide motorcycle (the “Motorcycle”) when its rear tire deflated (the “Deflated Tire”), throwing the Nielsons from the Motorcycle.7 Brett W. Nielson died at the scene of the accident and Angela K. Nielson suffered serious injuries.8 The Deflated Tire was not the original tire sold with the Motorcycle.9 The Deflated Tire

is a MT90B16 Dunlop D402 tire model (the “Dunlop Tire Model”).10 The Department of Transportation number of the Deflated Tire is DATRM17M0308 indicating that the Deflated Tire was manufactured in the third week of 2008 (January 14-18, 2008)11 at Goodyear-Dunlop’s tire plant located in Tonawanda, New York.12 The Dunlop Tire Model and Deflated Tire are co-branded with the Harley-Davidson name and trademarks.13 Harley-Davidson distributes but is not the exclusive distributor of the Dunlop Tire Model.14 There is no evidence identifying the seller of the Deflated Tire, or that Harley-Davidson sold the Deflated Tire.15

7 Second Amended Complaint, supra note 1, ¶¶ 19-20 at 4. 8 Id. ¶¶ 20-21 at 4. 9 Motion for Summary Judgment, supra note 5, ¶ 9 at 4. 10 Second Amended Complaint, supra note 1, ¶ 16 at 4. 11 Motion for Summary Judgment, supra note 5, at 4 (citing Affidavit of Bryan Fulmer, ¶ 14 at 4, Appendix 3, docket no. 47-1, filed Mar. 29, 2019). 12 Affidavit of William Woehrle, Exhibit 1, at 2, docket no. 58-1, filed May 3, 2019. Goodyear-Dunlop collectively refers to Defendants Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America, Ltd., The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. and Sumitomo Rubber USA, LLC. 13 Motion for Summary Judgment, supra note 5, ¶ 9 at 4. 14 Id. 15 Id. at 2. DISCUSSION Summary judgment is appropriate if “there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.”16 The moving party “bears the initial burden of making a prima facie demonstration of the absence of a genuine issue of material fact and entitlement to judgment as a matter of law.”17

A factual dispute is genuine when “there is sufficient evidence on each side so that a rational trier of fact could resolve the issue either way.”18 In determining whether there is a genuine dispute as to material fact, the factual record is viewed and all reasonable inferences therefrom are drawn most favorably to the nonmovant.19 Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint mooted Harley-Davidson’s summary judgment arguments relating to the Motorcycle Plaintiffs’ First Amended Complaint alleged three causes of action: (1) negligence and gross negligence; (2) strict liability; and (3) breach of warranty.20 Specific to Harley-Davidson, Plaintiffs alleged liability based on the Motorcycle that Brett Nielson was driving at the time of the accident and the Deflated Tire.21 Harley-Davidson’s Motion for Summary Judgment raised four arguments for the dismissal of Plaintiffs’ claims.22 Three arguments related to the Motorcycle.23 The fourth

16 Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). 17 Adler v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 144 F.3d 664, 670-71 (10th Cir. 1998). 18 Id. at 670. 19 Id. 20 First Amended Complaint, docket no. 7, filed Apr. 20, 2018. 21 Id. ¶¶ 59-62 at 12, ¶ 70 at 14, ¶¶ 89-91 at 18, ¶ 98 at 19. 22 Motion for Summary Judgment, supra note 5, at 1. 23 Id. at 1, 8-13. argument related to the Deflated Tire, i.e., that there is no evidence Harley-Davidson sold or distributed the Deflated Tire.24 However, subsequent to Harley-Davidson’s Motion for Summary Judgment, Plaintiffs filed a Second Amended Complaint,25 which removed Plaintiffs’ allegations regarding the

Motorcycle and amended the allegations relating to the Deflated Tire.

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Nielson v. Harley Davidson Motor Company Group, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nielson-v-harley-davidson-motor-company-group-utd-2019.