Wright v. Ryobi Technologies, Inc.

175 F. Supp. 3d 439, 2016 WL 1241860, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42003
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 30, 2016
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 15-1100
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 175 F. Supp. 3d 439 (Wright v. Ryobi Technologies, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wright v. Ryobi Technologies, Inc., 175 F. Supp. 3d 439, 2016 WL 1241860, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42003 (E.D. Pa. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

Stewart Dalzell, Judge.

I. Introduction

Plaintiff Kenneth Wright was injured on March 5, 2013 while using a Ryobi Model [444]*444RTS10 table saw, serial no. XX115150384. Wright brings a strict liability claim for design defect and failure-to-warn, a claim for breach of the implied warranty of merchantability, -and a general negligence claim for failure-to-warn and negligent design. He also seeks punitive damages. Defendants Ryobi Technologies, Inc., Tech-tronic Industries North America, Inc., and One World Technologies, Inc,, move for summary judgment on all of Wright’s claims or, in the alternative, his (1) strict liability claim premised on the consumer expectations test, (2) strict liability and negligence claims with respect to the unfriendly nature of the blade guard assembly, (3) strict liability and negligence claims predicated on a failure-to-warn, and (4) punitive damages claim.

For the reasons explained below, we will grant in part defendants’ motion for summary judgment with respect to Wright’s strict liability claim for design defect predicated on the consumer expectations test, his strict liability and negligence claims with respect to both the blade guard assembly and failure-to-warn, and his punitive damages claim.

II. Standard of Review

Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a) provides:
A party may move for summary judgment, identifying each claim or defense — or the part of each claim or defense — on which summary judgment is sought. The court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The court should state on the record the reasons for granting or denying the motion.

A party moving for summary judgment bears the initial burden of informing the district court of the basis for its argument that there is no genuine issue of material fact by identifying those portions of the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986) (internal quotations omitted). If the moving party meets this initial burden, then the non-moving party must show via submissions beyond the pleadings that there are genuine factual issues for trial. Id. at 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548. The non-moving party must respond with facts of record that contradict the facts identified by the moving party and may not rest on mere denials. Id. at 321 n.3, 106 S.Ct. 2548.

There is a genuine issue of material fact only when there is sufficient evidence such that a reasonable juror could find for the party opposing the motion. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 251-52, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986) (explaining further that a mere scintilla of evidence is insufficient). Material facts are those that would affect the outcome of the case under the governing law. Id. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505. The Court may not make credibility determinations or weigh the evidence and must draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving party. Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 150, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000); Amour v. County of Beaver, Pa., 271 F.3d. 417, 420 (3d Cir.2001). Our function is to determine whether there are genuine issues for trial, and we may not prevent a case from reaching a jury simply because we favor one of several reasonable views of the evidence. Abraham v. Raso, 183 F.3d 279, 287 (3d Cir.1999) (citing Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249, 106 S.Ct. 2505).

III. Factual Background

On March 5, 2013, plaintiff Kenneth Wright accidentally severed the fingertips [445]*445of his left thumb and middle finger while using a Ryobi Model RTS10 table saw, serial no. XXI15150384. Wright Dep. at 120:10-24, 123:8-20; Defs’ Mot. for Summ. J. (“MSJ”) Exs. C & D ¶ 3. Wright’s employer purchased the table saw about a year before the accident. Buonopane Dep. at 35:4-14. When purchased, the table saw included an Operator’s Manual, a blade guard assembly, and a rip fence. Id. at 39:6-12, 40:4-9. Wright’s employer believes that the blade guard assembly and Operator’s Manual were both in the van at the job site on the day of the accident, but Wright believes that neither the blade guard assembly nor the manual were there that day. Id. at 39:16-24, 40:1-3, 42:13-18, 42:23 - 43:2; Wright Dep. at 94:15-24, 95:11-25, 96:1-7. Wright had never seen a blade guard for the table saw and never asked where it was, but he knew that the purpose of a blade guard was to protect the operator from coming into contact with the blade. Id. at 19:25-20:24, 95:2-17.

The table saw had on-product warning labels that said to “reduce the risk of injury, the user must read and understand the operator’s manual”; to use the “blade guard and spreader for every operation for which it can be used, including all through sawing”; to “keep hands and body out of the path of the saw blade”; to “use a push stick when required”; to “pay particular attention to instructions on reducing risk of kickback”; and to “never perform any operation freehand”. MSJ Ex. G (capitali-zations omitted).

The Operator’s Manual for the table saw warned that operators needed to carefully read and understand all of its instructions, keep the saw’s guards in place ánd in good working order, and keep their hands away from the cutting area in order to avoid serious personal injury. MSJ Ex. H (Ryobi Operator’s Manual) at 3. The manual continued that the operator needed to guard against kickbacks, always usé a rip fence or straight edge when ripping, and use the blade guard, spreader, and anti-kickback pawls on all “through-sawing” cuts. Id. at 4. The manual also warned the operator to try to avoid kickbacks by keeping the rip fence parallel to the blade and using the blade guard, spreader, and anti-kickback pawls. Id. at 5.

The table saw Wright used was designed to be equipped with a modular blade guard assembly consisting, in part, of an adjustable/independent riving knife, a removable blade guard, and removable anti-kickback pawls. Hornick Aff. at ¶ 5. The blade guard provides a physical barrier between the table saw operator and the revolving blade and protects the operator from the top, side, and rear of the blade, leaving only a small opening at the front to allow the workpiece to make contact with the blade.' Id. The purpose of the independent riving knife and anti-kickback pawls is to reduce the chance of kickback. Id; Winter Dep. at 44:8-14. The table saw was designed to comply with all standards applicable to table saws as promulgated by the .American National Standards Institute (“ANSI”), in conjunction with' Underwriters Laboratories (“UL”), and included those warnings and labels ANSI/UL required. Hornick Aff. at ¶ 10.

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Bluebook (online)
175 F. Supp. 3d 439, 2016 WL 1241860, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42003, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wright-v-ryobi-technologies-inc-paed-2016.