Thongchoom v. Graco Children's Products, Inc.

71 P.3d 214, 117 Wash. App. 299
Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided May 6, 2003·No. No. 21107-0-III·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinion

Kato, A.C.J.

Tyler Thongchoom was injured in a baby walker manufactured by Graco Children’s Products, Inc. Claiming the walker was defectively designed, Tyler’s parents, individually and as his guardian, sued Graco. They also claimed the manufacturer failed to provide adequate warnings and breached express and implied warranties. Graco’s motion for summary judgment was granted. We affirm.

lyier was born May 19, 1997, in Walla Walla, Washington. Shortly after his birth, Soonthon and Sysanga Thongchoom received a Graco baby walker as a gift. The walker had been purchased at a yard sale and did not have the original instructions or warning information. There was, however, a warning on the walker. The Thongchooms acknowledged seeing and reading this warning.

The Thongchooms first used the walker when Tyler was seven months old. He was able to move around in the walker when he was in the kitchen, but could not move while on the carpet. Ms. Thongchoom thought it would take days or even weeks for Tyler to move the walker on the carpet.

Prior to the accident, Tyler had also begun to crawl. Because he was crawling, the Thongchooms had “baby-proofed” their house. Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 73.

On January 29,1998, the Thongchooms had some friends over. Mr. Thongchoom and another man were watching a basketball game; the others were playing cards. Ms. Thongchoom had prepared a pot of tea in an electrical pot. After Tyler got ready for bed, he was put in the walker. In less than five minutes, he moved his walker backwards and grabbed the cord to the teapot. The teapot fell on him and he suffered burns. Mr. Thongchoom was so upset that he threw out the walker and the teapot.

[303] Mr. Thongchoom had not noticed the dangling cord or he would have moved it. Ms. Thongchoom knew the cord was dangling, but did not think Tyler would be able to reach it.

The Thongchooms sued Graco. Because Mr. Thongchoom had thrown out the walker, Graco was unable to inspect it. From pictures, however, Graco determined that the walker was a Tot Wheels II, model number 4870R. When new, the walker was accompanied by an instruction and warning sheet which informed parents that, when a child was in the walker, the parents needed to closely supervise the child because the child could suddenly move at a brisk pace. It also told parents to provide a safe play place and to never leave a child unattended while in the walker. It also warned parents to keep electrical cords out of the child’s reach.

The label affixed to the walker also informed parents to never leave the child unattended. It warned that, to avoid burn injuries, the child should be kept away from ranges, radiators, space heaters, fireplaces, and similar items. The label further informed parents not to use the walker without an instruction sheet. It gave a toll-free number to call to obtain the sheet.

During discovery, the Thongchooms served Graco with interrogatories. Graco gave some responses, but objected to others. It claimed some requests were overbroad and burdensome, while others sought confidential trade secret or proprietary information. Graco proposed an agreed protective order and tried to work with the Thongchooms to narrow the scope and breadth of the discovery requests. When it became clear that the Thongchooms would not agree, Graco moved for a protective order; the Thongchooms filed a motion to compel.

Around this time, Graco filed a motion for summary judgment. All motions were set for hearing on the same day. The court granted Graco’s motion for summary judgment. The court noted it was then unnecessary to rule on the remaining motions. This appeal follows.

We review orders of summary judgment de novo. Miller v. Likins, 109 Wn. App. 140, 144, 34 P.3d 835 (2001). In the [304] course of this review, we consider the evidence in a light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Id. Summary judgment is appropriate when there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. CR 56(c).

The Thongchooms sought damages under Washington’s products liability act, RCW 7.72.030, claiming the walker was defectively designed. Under that statute, a plaintiff must show (1) a manufacturer’s product (2) was not reasonably safe as designed and (3) caused harm to the plaintiff. Bruns v. PACCAR, Inc., 77 Wn. App. 201, 208, 890 P.2d 469, review denied, 126 Wn.2d 1025 (1995). Two alternative tests may be used to establish that a product was not reasonably safe as designed: the risk-utility test and the consumer expectations test. Id. at 209.1

Under the risk-utility test, liability can be established by showing that,

“at time of manufacture, the likelihood that the product would cause the plaintiff’s harm or similar harms, and the seriousness of those harms, outweighed the manufacturer’s burden to design a product that would have prevented those harms and any adverse effect a practical, feasible alternative would have on the product’s usefulness.”

Lecy v. Bayliner Marine Corp., 94 Wn. App. 949, 959-60, 973 P.2d 1110 (1999) (quoting Soproni v. Polygon Apartment Partners, 137 Wn.2d 319, 326, 971 P.2d 500 (1999)), review denied, 139 Wn.2d 1025 (2000). The walker was designed to give a baby mobility, the very feature that makes the product dangerous. The only alternative design would be to employ a saucer-type device that would allow a baby to stand, but not allow a baby to move. Such a design, however, completely changes the product. Given the nature and purpose of a baby walker, no feasible alternative design [305] would have prevented the harm here. See Anderson v. Weslo, Inc., 79 Wn. App. 829, 837, 906 P.2d 336 (1995). The risk-utility test is thus inapplicable. Id.

Under the consumer expectation standard, the plaintiff must show the product was more dangerous than the ordinary consumer would expect. Pagnotta v. Beall Trailers, Inc., 99 Wn. App. 28, 36, 991 P.2d 728 (2000). Under this test, a manufacturer may not be held liable merely because a product causes harm; rather it must be shown that the product causing the harm was not reasonably safe. Baughn v. Honda Motor Co., 107 Wn.2d 127, 134, 727 P.2d 655 (1986).

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Thongchoom v. Graco Children's Products, Inc., 71 P.3d 214, 117 Wash. App. 299 (Wash. Ct. App. 2003).

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