Vito Milanese, Jr. And Suzanne Milanese v. Rust-Oleum Corporation

244 F.3d 104, 49 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 87, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 2972, 2001 WL 197950
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedMarch 1, 2001
DocketDocket 00-7527
StatusPublished
Cited by273 cases

This text of 244 F.3d 104 (Vito Milanese, Jr. And Suzanne Milanese v. Rust-Oleum Corporation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vito Milanese, Jr. And Suzanne Milanese v. Rust-Oleum Corporation, 244 F.3d 104, 49 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 87, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 2972, 2001 WL 197950 (2d Cir. 2001).

Opinion

McLAUGHLIN, Circuit Judge:

BACKGROUND

Vito Milanese, Jr. (“Milanese”) was the co-owner of a small landscaping business. His amour propre, however, was his Ferrari 308. In December 1996, he dedicated his evenings to rust-proofing the chassis. This tedious operation required wire-brushing the entire under-body of the car, then applying a rust-preventing primer coat, followed by a coat of enamel. For use in priming and painting, Milanese bought a can of Rust-Oleum Rusty Metal Primer (the “Primer”) and a can of Rust-Oleum Protective Enamel (the “Enamel”). While using the primer, vapors were ignited by the flame in an adjacent wood-burning stove, causing a flash fire that severely burned Milanese.

The Can of Primer

On the front of the Primer can appeared the following warning in red, bold letters: “DANGER: EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE. CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE. VAPOR HARMFUL.” The directions for use on the back of the can stated: “Use outdoors, or in a well-ventilated area, when temperature is above 50° F (10° C) and humidity is below 85% to ensure proper drying. Avoid spraying in very windy, dusty conditions.”

On the back of the Primer can the following precautions also appeared:

CONTAINS TULUOL AND XYLOL. Keep away from heat, sparks and flame, including pilot lights and cigarettes. Avoid over-exposure to vapors. To avoid breathing vapors or spray mist, open windows and doors or use other means to ensure fresh air entry during application and drying. If you experi *107 ence eye watering, headaches or dizziness, increase fresh air or wear respiratory protection (NOSH/MSHA TC 23° C or equivalent), or leave the area. Avoid contact with skin. DO NOT puncture or incinerate.

The Can of Enamel

In contrast, the warning on the front of the Enamel can stated, in red bold letters: “DANGER! EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE LIQUID & VAPOR. VAPORS MAY CAUSE FLASH FIRE. CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE.” (emphasis added). Although the directions for use on the back were similar- to those on the can of Primer, additional precautions were listed on the back of the Enamel can:

Vapors may ignite explosively. Keep away from heat, sparks and flame. Extinguish all flames and pilot lights, and'■ turn off stoves, heaters, electric motors and other sources of ignition during use and until all vapors are gone. Do not smoke. Use only with adequate ventilation. Prevent build-up of vapors by opening all windoivs and doors to achieve cross-ventilation. Do not expose to heat or store at temperatures above 120° F. Exposure to heat or prolonged exposure to sun may cause bursting. Do not puncture or incinerate (burn) container, (emphasis added).

The two products were packaged together in a blue plastic wrapper. It is unclear from the record what warnings, if any, appeared on the plastic packaging itself. Milanese was familiar with the individual warning labels because he had used both products on numerous occasions and had recently read each label.

On December 10, 1996, as he had done often, Milanese went out to his garage to work on his Ferrari. The garage was detached from his house, was approximately 12 feet x 18 feet in size, and was heated by a wood-burning, pot-belly stove. On this night, Milanese intended to scrape and prime (but not paint) the car’s wheel wells.

The Ferrari was parked front-end in, with its rear wheels closest to the garage door, and its front-passenger side near the wood-burning stove. Having previously compared the Primer label with the Enamel label, Milanese concluded that, as long as he did not use the Primer near the potbelly stove, he need not put out the fire that was fully enclosed in the stove before using the Primer. In addition to two large air vents in the rafters, Milanese cranked open two small windows on the wall of the garage nearest the stove. He did not open the garage door.

He then began to scrape and prime the wheel wells, beginning with the front driver-side, then moving counter-clockwise to the rear driver-side and the rear passenger-side. Ten minutes after he began to spray the Primer onto the rear passenger-side wheel well, vapors from the Primer licked the fire in the stove approximately 10 feet away, triggering a flash fire that engulfed Milanese in flames. Milanese sustained second and third degree burns to more than 36% of his body. He is permanently disfigured and scarred.

In August 1998, Milanese commenced this action against the Rust-Oleum Corporation (“Rust-Oleum”) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Mishler, /.), alleging common law claims for breach of warranty, strict products liability, and negligence. The crux of each cause of action was that Rust-Oleum failed to warn on the Primer’s label — as compared with the Enamel label — that its vapors could cause flash fire. Milanese’s wife also asserted a claim for loss of consortium.

In November 1999, upon completion of discovery, Rust-Oleum moved for summary judgment on the ground that the Milaneses’ claims were preempted by the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1261-1278, and certain regulations promulgated thereunder, 16 C.F.R. §§ 1500.1-.272. Milanese cross- *108 moved for leave to amend the complaint to add a cause of action alleging that Rush-Oleum negligently failed to comply with the FHSA. In particular, the claim would allege that the Primer can failed to identify vapor flash fires as a “principal hazard” and failed to list the necessary “precautionary measures,” in violation of 15 U.S.C. § 1261(p)(l).

To support his cross-motion, Milanese attached the deposition testimony of a Rust-Oleum employee, Larry West, a Safety and Industrial Hygiene Coordinator. West had admitted that: (1) the same propellant is used in both the Primer and Enamel; (2) the propellant, which is a vapor, is extremely flammable; and (3) vapors from the Primer (which include both the propellant contained in the liquid primer itself and the vapors that are emitted from the liquid once it has been sprayed onto a surface) may cause flash fires. When asked to explain why, unlike the Primer can, the Enamel can warned that both the liquid Enamel and its vapors were flammable and that the vapor may cause flash fires, West answered that the Enamel was in “a later generation can;” and he speculated that the Enamel may contain a raw material that makes it more flammable than the Primer. West contended that the very warning “EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE” on the Primer can implied that both the liquid primer and its vapors were flammable, and that the precautions regarding proper ventilation adequately protected the consumer from the flash fire hazard.

Milanese also attached the affidavit of Robert J. Cunitz, Ph.D., a certified Human Factors Psychologist. Mr.

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244 F.3d 104, 49 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 87, 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 2972, 2001 WL 197950, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vito-milanese-jr-and-suzanne-milanese-v-rust-oleum-corporation-ca2-2001.