Fernandez v. Tamko Building Products, Inc.
Fernandez v. Tamko Building Products, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
RULING
This matter is before the Court on the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by the Defendant, Tamko Building Products, Incorporated (“Defendant” or “Tamko”).
I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND
Number 15 felt is a saturated felt under-layment used during the roofing process to provide a temporary moisture barrier which protects the wood deck from the elements. Once a roof is completed, the felt provides a secondary moisture barrier which protects the wood deck from moisture that may seep beneath the shingles. After installation, and before the shingles are installed, the felt underlayment is a walking surface used by roofing installers.
Eagle Roofing Company (“Eagle Roofing”) was hired to repair the roof of a home that had been damaged by a hail storm. Eagle Roofing subcontracted the roofing job to Edgar Jiminez (“Jiminez”), the direct employer of Plaintiff Jorge Fernandez and Inmar Torres. Eagle Roofing Manager David Mancuso (“Mancuso”) allegedly ordered # 15 roofing underlayment from Advanced Building Products in Harahan, Louisiana.
This Court is called to decide whether the roofing felt provided an unreasonably
The Court declines to summarily dismiss Plaintiffs defective product claim merely because the actual product in question was discarded. The Court finds that the felt in question may be shown to be unreasonably dangerous in construction or composition through the use of an exemplar that is demonstrated to be an accurate surrogate for the original.
As to the warning claim, the Court finds that the risk of harm was that of falling, and Tamko did warn, both in writing and pictorially, of that risk. Thus, the Plaintiffs warning claims will be dismissed.
II. LAW AND ANALYSIS
A. Summary Judgment Standard
Summary judgment should be granted if the record, taken as a whole, “together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.”
If the moving party meets this burden, Rule 56(c) requires the nonmovant to go beyond the pleadings and show by affidavits, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file, or other admissible evidence that specific facts exist over which there is a genuine issue for trial.
B. The Louisiana Products Liability Act (“LPLA”)
The LPLA contains an exclusive remedy provision limiting a plaintiffs theories of recovery against a manufacturer of an allegedly defective product to those established by the LPLA.
Plaintiff claims the TAMKO # 15 was unreasonably dangerous in its construction or composition, and due to an inadequate warning or failure to warn. The Court turns to a discussion of these claims and the applicable law and jurisprudence.
1. Unreasonably Dangerous in Construction or Composition
Plaintiff contends that the TAMKO # 15 installed on this particular job was defective in construction or composition as contemplated by the LPLA
The Defendant argues that this theory of recovery is not available to the Plaintiff because the allegedly defective product was discarded following the incident. Thus, Defendant contends that “[a]ny claim that the product was ‘unreasonably
A plaintiff who contends that a product is unreasonably dangerous in construction or composition must provide evidence that the “characteristic of the product condition that renders it unreasonably dangerous” existed “at the time the product left the control of its manufacturer.”
Here, it is undisputed that the felt underlayment at issue was removed and discarded following Plaintiffs incident, and it was destroyed before any examination could be made of the product.
2. Failure to Warn
Plaintiff also alleges that TAMKO breached its duty to warn under the LPLA
The Defendant contends that the warning provided was sufficient, if heeded, to prevent the injury Plaintiff suffered. The warning on TAMKO # 15 contained an illustration of a stick figure falling from a roof on the # 15 label, accompanied by the words: “APPROPRIATE FALL PROTECTION METHODS SHOULD BE USED WHENEVER WORKING ON ROOFS. Use Caution. Wrapper may be slippery.”
Defendant counters that, if followed, this warning would have prevented exactly the injury that Plaintiff suffered. The Defendant also contends that, based on the admission by Plaintiff and his contractor that neither of them ever read the label which contained the warning, Plaintiff is precluded from recovery under this theory of liability. The record reflects that David Mancuso, the Eagle Roofing Manager who purchased the felt, never looked at the label;
To maintain a failure to warn claim under the LPLA, “a plaintiff must demonstrate that the product in question has a potentially damage-causing characteristic and that the manufacturer failed to use reasonable care to provide an adequate warning about this characteristic.”
In support of its position, the Defendant relies on Peart v. Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc., a products liability case where the plaintiff had been injured when she fell from a step stool while shelving purses at a department store.
The plaintiff claimed that the stool should have warned of the increased risk of collapse with use and age and also provided instructions on how to identify when the stool has reached the end of its usable life, and what to do when that occurs.
The court noted that “[fjailure to warn claims do not necessarily present a jury issue.
The Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal reached the same conclusion in Or-
Applying the same reasoning to the facts of this case, it is clear that Plaintiff failed to heed the warning label on the felt paper; thus, Plaintiff has failed to show how the type of warning he contends would have been appropriate (or any other warning at all) would have changed the outcome of the accident since it is unlikely that Plaintiff would have heeded that warning either. There is no reason to believe, based on the summary judgment evidence before the Court, that Plaintiff would have adhered to an alternate warning considering he did not follow the warning provided to wear fall protection. Therefore, the Court finds that Plaintiff has failed to create a genuine issue of material fact regarding the failure to warn claim.
Furthermore, the Court is not persuaded by the suggestion that it was standard industry practice for roofers not to use fall protection equipment. Plaintiff curiously argues, citing the testimony of several of his experts, that “it is a very common and known practice throughout the roofing industry for fall protection not to be used by roofers on residential roofs.”
Considering that Plaintiff ignored the warning label on TAMKO # 15, the Court finds that Plaintiff cannot prove that the failure to warn or an inadequate warning was the proximate cause of his injuries as required under the LPLA. The heeding presumption has been rebutted by the Defendant. Moreover, the Court is not persuaded by the argument that the risk was the tearing of the paper rather than falling from the roof. Clearly, had Plaintiff heeded the warning on TAMKO # 15 and utilized fall protection equipment or other safety options that were available, his fall and subsequent injury would not have occurred.
3. No Duty to Warn Sophisticated User
The Defendant also contends that, although it actually did warn of the danger of falling, it had no duty to warn this particular Plaintiff under the LPLA and applicable jurisprudence. Defendant argues that TAMKO # 15 is not a product intended for ordinary use by the general public; rather, its ordinary user is a professional roofer. Defendant further contends that both Plaintiff and his employer Jiminez described themselves as professional roofers,
A manufacturer has a lessened duty to warn of danger when the danger is obvious. This duty is further lessened when the user is sophisticated.
In Contranchis v. Travelers Insurance Company, the Fifth Circuit addressed a case involving a construction worker who filed a product liability action against Hercules Sheet Metal, Inc. and its insurer.
The defendants moved for summary judgment asserting that “an open skylight hole in a construction project was an ‘obvious danger’ for which Hercules did not have a duty to warn.”
The Fifth Circuit affirmed the trial court, stating: “As Hercules points out, Louisiana courts have previously noted that such construction work [erecting metal buildings] is specialized per se.”
In Hines v. Remington Arms Co., Inc., the Louisiana Supreme Court addressed a claim against a gunpowder manufacturer for injuries sustained by a plaintiff when a high-powered target rifle accidentally discharged into a container of gunpowder and ignited it.
Applying the applicable law and jurisprudence to the facts of this case, the Court finds that there is no genuine issue of material fact that, based on their professional experience and use of the product, the Plaintiff, Jiminez, and Mancuso are sophisticated users. Thus, although the Defendant actually did warn of the danger of falling, it had no legal duty to warn Plaintiff of the known or knowable dangers and/or characteristics of # 15 felt paper.
Plaintiff contends that the sophisticated user defense does not apply because TAM-KO # 15 is available to the general public in Lowe’s and similar stores. This argument is without merit and contrary to relevant caselaw. The júrisprudence is clear that it is not the product’s availability to the user, but rather the user’s familiarity with the product, that makes a user “sophisticated.” For example, in Colbert v. Sonic Restaurants, Inc., the court held that the plaintiff, who had been burned by hot coffee, was a sophisticated user of Sonic’s coffee.
The record reflects that Mancuso, Jimi-nez, and Plaintiff are all regular users of # 15 felt paper, and based on their roofing experience, should be well aware of the inherent characteristics and dangers in such a product. The fact that fall protection equipment was used every day on the job in question prior to the date of Plaintiffs injury is indicative of their knowledge of the risk of falling from the roof. Likewise, the fact that all three are aware that # 15 felt is regularly cut with a shearing knife in its use in roofing shows that they were aware, or should have been aware, that at some point with the application of force, felt paper will “give.” As the Defendant aptly stated, “[T]he relative strengths of the two products, measured by their resistance to a shearing force, is something every experienced roofer would know. Both products are reduced to a usable size
Therefore, the Court alternatively finds that the Defendant owed Plaintiff no duty to warn with this product because the Plaintiff, Jiminez, and Mancuso were all sophisticated users of # 15 felt paper. Even if the Plaintiff was not a sophisticated user, the caselaw discussed above shows that a “manufacturer does not have a duty to warn an end-user when the product is initially purchased by a sophisticated user that would then have the duty to warn the end-user.”
III. CONCLUSION
For the reasons set forth above, the Motion for Summary Judgment by Defendant Tamko Building Products, Incorporated, is hereby GRANTED in part and DENIED in part.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
RULING
This matter is before the Court on the Motions for Reconsideration filed by Plaintiffs, Jorge and Renee Fernandez
I. HISTORY AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
The procedural posture and history of this matter merits discussion. In Plaintiffs’ original Complaint, they asserted claims under three theories of recovery available under the LPLA, namely, failure to warn, defective design, and defect in composition or construction. At the summary judgment stage, Plaintiffs put most of their eggs in the “failure to warn” basket and the Defendant did likewise.
On summary judgment, Plaintiffs gave short shrift to their design claim. Plaintiffs never identified or discussed any alternative design, a necessary element,
As for the Plaintiffs’ construction or composition defect claim, the parties’ briefs on the summary judgment motion were barely adequate. The sum and substance of TAMKO’s Motion for Summary Judgment on the Plaintiffs composition and construction claim was that:
With the product at the center of this dispute no longer available, plaintiffs right to recovery is all but eliminated. Any claim that the product was “unreasonably dangerous in construction or composition” is incapable of proof. La. R.S. 9:2800.54(B).8
Defendant moved for dismissal of the Plaintiffs’ construction or composition claim on the sole grounds that the actual roofing felt in place when the Plaintiff fell had been discarded.
The Court granted summary dismissal of the Plaintiffs’ failure to warn claim. The Plaintiffs move for reconsideration.
II. LAW & ANALYSIS
A. Motion for Reconsideration
The Motion for Reconsideration was filed within 28 days of the relevant ruling; thus, it is evaluated pursuant to Rule 59(e) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. “A Rule 59(e) motion calls into question the correctness of a judgment.”
B. Plaintiffs’ Motion for Reconsideration
Plaintiffs make various assertions of error by the Court in its previous Ruling. As several of Plaintiffs’ arguments are essentially the same arguments presented to the Court in opposition to the Motion for Summary Judgment, the Court will not engage in “rehashing evidence, legal theories, or arguments that could have been offered or raised before the entry of judgment.”
Plaintiffs take umbrage with the Court’s reference to a “heavy burden” regarding the construction and composition defect claim. In denying the Defendant’s summary judgment on the construction or composition claim, the Court held that the Plaintiffs could perhaps prove a defect in construction or composition by evidence adduced from testing exemplars. The Court did not change the burden of proof in this case as Plaintiffs suggest. Rather, the Court was merely observing that proving that, the subject felt was “defective due to a mistake in the manufacturing process”
Urging reconsideration of the Court’s dismissal of the failure to warn claim, Plaintiffs suggest that summary judgment is never proper in a product liability case. The wealth of jurisprudence to the contrary, as well as - the multitude of cases cited by the Court in its Ruling, belie this contention. The Court granted summary judgment dismissing the Plaintiffs’ failure to warn claims on two grounds; 1) insufficient evidence that “but for” the allegedly inadequate warning, the accident in question would not have occurred,
It is undisputed that the subject TAM-KO # 15 felt contained a warning that “APPROPRIATE FALL PROTECTION METHODS SHOULD BE USED WHENEVER WORKING ON ROOFS.”
In any event, the Plaintiff was, as a matter of fact, a sophisticated user. Both the Plaintiff and his employer described themselves as professional roofers.
For the first time in their Motion for Reconsideration, Plaintiffs argue that the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur applies in this case. The Court notes that nowhere in Plaintiffs’ Opposition did they argue the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur, and the Court does not consider the issue to be appropriately before the Court.
The Court also finds that the Ruling on Plaintiffs’ warning claims is fully supported by the analysis, reasoning, and supporting jurisprudence set forth therein. Accordingly, Plaintiffs’ Motion for Reconsideration
C. Defendant’s Motion for Reconsideration
The Defendant has also moved for reconsideration of the Court’s Ruling denying summary judgment on Plaintiffs’ construction and composition defect claim. The Defendant contends that there is no evidence to support this claim, and summary judgment should be granted on this claim after reconsideration. The Defendant contends that Plaintiffs cannot carry their burden of proof on the construction and composition defect claim because none of Plaintiffs’ liability experts conducted any tests in which they compared exemplars of TAMKO # 15 felt with other samples of the same product. Further, Defendant contends neither expert rendered any opinion that exemplars of TAMKO # 15 deviated from TAMKO’s specifications or performance standards for that product. While Plaintiffs’ expert, Dr. Jerry Householder, did test a sample of TAMKO # 15 to determine the “tensile strength,” his report is void of any indication that he compared this sample to any other samples of # 15 felt or that the sample tested deviated from TAMKO’s specifications or performance standards for # 15 felt. Likewise, Patrick Heil’s report is void of any reference to conducting tests of exemplars of TAMKO # 15 felt.
Plaintiffs oppose this motion, reiterating their opposition to the Court’s reference to their “heavy” burden at trial for the construction and composition defect claim. Plaintiffs also re-urge the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur as set forth in their own Motion for Reconsideration. As the Court has addressed these issues above, it will not repeat its findings here. Finally, Plaintiffs argue their experts could not have concluded that tested samples of
To prevail on a construction or composition defect claim under the LPLA, “a plaintiff must show that ‘at the time the product left its manufacturer’s control, the product deviated in a material way from the manufacturer’s specifications or performance standards for the product or from otherwise identical products manufactured by the same manufacturer.’ ”
the product deviated in a material way from the manufacturer’s specifications or performance standards for the product or from otherwise identical products manufactured by the same manufacturer.
Plaintiffs fail to point to any record evidence that the exemplar felt failed to conform to the manufacturer’s performance standards or specifications. Assuming ar-guendo that TAMKO had no manufacturing specifications or performance standards for its # 15 felt, the Abrogast v. Timex Corp.,
In Abrogast v. Timex Corp., the district court granted summary judgment on plaintiffs LPLA construction or composition defect claim, where plaintiff argued that the Timex watch he purchased contained dangerous levels of hexavalent chromium which caused plaintiffs severe skin reaction.
After reconsideration, the Court finds that the record in this case warrants the same result. Despite Plaintiffs’ protestations that “none exist,” it is the Plaintiffs’ burden, as set forth in the jurisprudence discussed and cited above, to produce either company specifications and performance standards or at least industry standards and show how the product deviated therefrom. While the Court did previously hold that this claim survived summary judgment because of the possibility to test and compare exemplar products in an effort to make this showing, it is now clear to the Court that no such comparison/tests have been performed. Furthermore, the law is clear that a composition defect is not to be inferred simply because the product tore: “Defects are not presumed [to be present] by the mere happening of an accident.”
III. CONCLUSION
Accordingly, Defendant’s Motion for Reconsideration*
Judgment shall be entered accordingly.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68.
. Plaintiff Renee Fernandez is the wife of Plaintiff Jorge Fernandez. Renee’s claim is only for loss of consortium. Where the Court refers to Plaintiff in the singular in this opinion, it is speaking of Jorge Fernandez.
. Rec. Doc. No. 74.
. Plaintiff alleges that the #15 roofing under-layment delivered to the residence was "TAM-KO #15” as shown on the product’s wrapping. The Defendant does not waive its right to contest that the product at issue was actually TAMKO #15. Plaintiff offers various photograph exhibits which depict the rolls of #15 roofing underlayment as delivered to the home of the roofing job. Plaintiff argues that “TAMKO # 15” is clearly seen on the product wrapper in these photographs. Defendant counters that TAMKO manufactures four different kinds of # 15 felt, and there is evidence in the record that the supplier who took the order filled it not with TAMKO #15, as alleged by Plaintiff and tested by Plaintiff’s experts, but rather TAMKO ASTM #15. The Court acknowledges Defendant’s right to contest product identification; however, for the purposes of this motion, the Court will assume arguendo that the product at issue was TAMKO #15.
.Rec. Doc. No. 74-27, pp. 3-4 (Deposition of Jorge Fernandez, pp. 104 — 105).
. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c); New York Life Ins. Co. v. Travelers Ins. Co., 92 F.3d 336, 338 (5th Cir. 1996); Rogers v. Int’l Marine Terminals, Inc., 87 F.3d 755, 758 (5th Cir. 1996).
. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). See also Gunaca v. Texas, 65 F.3d 467, 469 (5th Cir. 1995).
. Little v. Liquid Air Corp., 37 F.3d 1069, 1075 (5th Cir. 1994) (en banc) (quoting Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323-25, 106 S.Ct. at 2552).
. Id. at 1075.
. Wallace v. Texas Tech Univ., 80 F.3d 1042, 1046-47 (5th Cir. 1996).
. Little, 37 F.3d at 1075; Wallace, 80 F.3d at 1047.
. Wallace, 80 F.3d at 1048 (quoting Little, 37 F.3d at 1075). See also S.W.S. Erectors, Inc. v. Infax, Inc., 72 F.3d 489, 494 (5th Cir. 1996).
. McCallum Highlands v. Washington Capital Dus, Inc., 66 F.3d 89, 92 (5th Cir. 1995), as revised on denial of rehearing, 70 F.3d 26 (5th Cir. 1995).
. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249-51, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2511, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).
. La. R.S. 9:2800.51 et seq.
. Stahl v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., 283 F.3d 254, 261 (5th Cir. 2002).
. Id., citing La. R.S. 9:2800.54(A).
. See La. R.S. 9:2800.54(B).
. See La. R.S. 9:2800.55(0).
. Rec. Doc. No. 74, p. 8.
. Id., citing Rec. Doc. No. 74-2, p. 14 (Deposition of Jerry L. Householder p. 14)(empha-sis in original).
. With respect to these contentions made by Plaintiffs proffered experts, TAMKO again asserts the argument that these experts may very well have been testing the wrong TAM-KO product as set forth previously Rec Doc. No. 75, p. 3.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68-1, p. 1, citing La. R.S. 9:2800.54(B).
. See Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993) and Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael, 526 U.S. 137, 119 S.Ct. 1167, 143 L.Ed.2d 238 (1999).
. La. R.S. 9:2800.54(C).
. La. R.S. 9:2800.55.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68-5, p. 2 (Deposition of Inmar Torres, p. 65).
. Rec. Doc. No. 74, p. 7.
. Should the Plaintiff be able to present evidence of a defect in construction or composition, the Court notes that the principles of comparative fault would apply to Plaintiffs failure to use the provided fall protection equipment. See LSA-C.C. art. 2323; Broussard v. State ex rel. Office of State Buildings, 2012-1238 (La.4/5/13), 113 So.3d 175, 189 ("[P]laintiffs 'awareness of the danger’ is but one factor to consider when assigning fault to all responsible parties under La. Civ.Code art. 2323”)(internal citations omitted).
.Plaintiff attempts an argument that perhaps a warning should have been given in both English and Spanish. The Court will not entertain this argument because: (1) there is no requirement under the LPLA or related jurisprudence that a foreign language warning be given; (2) the warning on the product allegedly at issue contained a pictoral symbol which depicted the risk of falling; and (3) as shall be set forth in detail, the evidence establishes that the given warning was not read or was ignored.
. Rec. Doc. No. 74-22.
. Rec. Doc. No. 74, p. 7.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68-8, Deposition of David Mancuso, p. 22.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68-7, Deposition of Edgar Jiminez, p. 27.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68-3, Deposition of Jorge Fernandez, p, 89.
. Stahl v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., 283 F.3d 254, 264 (5th Cir. 2002).
. La. R.S. 9:2800.54(A); see also, Wheat v. Pfizer, 31 F.3d 340, 342 (5th Cir. 1994).
. See Brown v. Parker-Hannifin Corp., 919 F.2d 308, 311 (5th Cir. 1990).
. No. 09-7463, 2011 WL 1336563 (E.D.La. 4/7/11).
. Id.
. Id. at *1.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at *2.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at *3, citing Brown, 919 F.2d at 311 (citing Anderson v. McNeilab, Inc., 831 F.2d 92, 93 (5th Cir. 1987)).
. Id., quoting Graver v. Kroger Co., 2010-689 (La.App. 3 Cir. 2/2/11), 54 So.3d 1249, 1256 (quoting Stahl 283 F.3d at 264 — 65).
. Id., citing Graver, 54 So.3d at 1256.
. Id.
. Id.
. Peart v. Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc., 456 Fed.Appx. 446, 448 (5th Cir.1/4/12).
. Id. at 193.
. Id.
. Id. at 194.
. Id. at 196.
. Rec. Doc. No. 74, p. 3, citing Rec. Doc. No. 74-1 (Deposition of Robert Whitcomb, pp. 82-84); Rec. Doc. No. 74-12. p. 1, 74-14, pp. 6-7 (Deposition of Patrick Heil, pp. 27, 62-63); Rec. Doc. No. 74-3, pp. 5-6 (Deposition of Householder, pp. 35-36); Rec. Doc. No. 74-18, pp. 2-3, 9-10 (Deposition of Wendell Rust, pp. 46-47, 71-72); Rec. Doc. No. 74-17, p. 7 (Deposition of Mancuso, p. 60).
. See Rec. Doc. No. 74-3, pp. 5-6 (Deposition of Householder, pp. 35-36).
. Rec. Doc. No. 74, p. 5, citing Rec. Doc. No. 74 — 26, pp. 7-8 (Deposition of Torres, pp. 41-42); Rec. Doc. No. 74-1 (Deposition of Whitcomb, p. 81).
. Rec. Doc. No. 74, p. 6.
. Rec. Doc. No. 74, p. 6; See Rec. Doc. No. 74-11, p. 7 (Deposition of Heil, p. 20).
. Id.
. Rec. Doc. No. 75, p. 5, citing Rec. Doc. No. 74-3, pp. 6-7 (Deposition of Householder, pp. 36-37); Rec. Doc. No. 75-4, p. 19 (Report of Wendell Rust, OSHA Consultant, p. 18).
. See Rec. Doc. No. 68-3, p. 5 (Deposition of Jorge Fernandez, p. 27, lines 1-3)
. Savant v. Beretta USA Corp., No. 05-1501, 2007 WL 1068481 (W.D.La.4/4/07) (citing Johnston v. Hartford, 623 So.2d 35, 37 (La.App. 1st Cir. 1993); Ducote v. Liberty Mutual Ins. Co., 451 So.2d 1211, 1213 (La.App. 4th Cir. 1984); Duncan v. Louisiana Power & Light Co., 532 So.2d 968, 972 (La.App. 5th Cir. 1988)).
. Davis v. Avondale Industries, Inc., 975 F.2d 169, 172 (5th Cir. 1992).
. Id. quoting La. R.S. 9:2800.57(B)(2); see also Duncan v. Louisiana Power & Light Co., 532 So.2d 968, 972 (La.App. 5th Cir. 1988) ("There is no duty to warn a sophisticated user of dangers of which he may be presumed to know through his familiarity with the product.”); Gautreaux v. Tex-Steam Co., 723 F.Supp. 1181, 1182 (E.D.La. 1989).
. Id. (emphasis in original).
. Id., quoting Bradco Oil & Gas Co. v. Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co., 532 F.2d 501, 504 (5th Cir. 1976) cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1095, 97 S.Ct. 1111, 51 L.Ed.2d 542 (1977).
. Guillot v. Aventis Pasteur, Inc., No. 02-3373, 2013 WL 4508003, at *17 (E.D.La.8/22/13) (citing Longo v. E.I. Dupont De Nemours & Co., 632 So.2d 1193 (La.Ct.App. 1994); Scallan v. Duriron Co., Inc., 11 F.3d 1249 (5th Cir. 1994); Washington v. Dep't of Transp., 8 F.3d 296 (5th Cir. 1993); Davis v. Avondale Indus., Inc., 975 F.2d 169 (5th Cir. 1992); Bates v. E.D. Bullard Co., 76 So.3d 111 (La.Ct.App. 2011)).
. 02-840 (La.App. 5 Cir. 1/28/03), 839 So.3d 301.
. Id. at 302
. Id.
. Id.
. Id.
. Id. at 304, citing Chauvin v. Gulf Coast Minerals, Inc., 509 So.2d 622 (La.App. 3 Cir. 1987); writ denied, 512 So.2d 1175 (La. 1987).
. Id.
. 94-455, p. 10, (La. 12/8/94), 648 So.2d 331.
. Id. at 337.
. Id.
. 741 F.Supp.2d 764, 771 (W.D.La. 2010).
. Id.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68-1, p. 6.
. Supra, n. 74.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68.
. Rec. Doc. No. 112.
. Rec. Doc. No. 115.
. Rec. Doc. No. 107.
. Rec. Doc. Nos. 130 & 138.
. La. R.S. 9:2800.56. To establish a design defect under the LPLA, a plaintiff must show that at the time the product left the manufacturer’s control, (1) "[tjhere existed an alternative design for the product that was capable of preventing the claimant's damage,” and (2) ”[t]he likelihood that the product’s design would cause the claimant’s damage and the gravity of that damage outweighed the burden on the manufacturer of adopting such alternative design and the adverse effect, if any, of such alternative design on the utility of the product.” Milton v. Rapiscan Sec. Prod., No. 04-591, 2005 WL 1400433, at *2 (E.D.La. June 6, 2005) (citing Krummel v. Bombardier, 206 F.3d 548, 551 (5th Cir. 2000); Lavespere v. Niagara Mach. & Tool Works, Inc., 910 F.2d 167, 178 (5th Cir. 1990)).
.A plaintiff is required to “identify a specific alternative design in existence at the time of the injury that was capable of preventing the injury, and they must also perform a risk-utility analysis.” Milton v. Rapiscan Sec. Prod., No. 04-591, 2005 WL 1400433, at *2 (E.D.La. June 6, 2005) (citing Krummel, 206 F.3d at 551). Additionally, ”[t]he alternative design proposed must be reasonably specific and not based on mere speculation.” Seither v. Winnebago Industries, Inc., 2002-2091, (La.App. 4 Cir. 7/2/03), 853 So.2d 37, 41.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68-1, p. 1. In response, Plaintiffs provided only conclusory unsupported arguments of defective design. Plaintiffs argued that the TAMKO product was defective because it was unreasonably dangerous when used on steep roofs. (Rec. Doc. No. 74, p. 7) Plaintiffs relied on their experts' opinion that "TAMKO #15 roofing underlayment should never be used on steep sloped roofs, particularly absent the necessary warning of the dangers presented to roofing installers if it is used in such a dangerous application”. (Rec. Doc. No. 74, p. 8, citing Householder Deposition p. 14).
. Rec. Doc. No. 68-1, p. 1.
. Id.
. Templet v. HydroChem Inc., 367 F.3d 473, 478 (5th Cir. 2004) (citation and quotations omitted).
. Id. at 479.
. Id., (citations and quotations omitted).
. The Court has considered all of Plaintiffs' contentions whether or not specifically addressed herein.
. Id., quoting Stahl, 283 F.3d at 263 (citing La. R.S. § 9:2800.55)(emphasis added).
. See Brown v. Parker-Hannifin Corp., 919 F.2d 308, 311 (5th Cir. 1990).
. Rec. Doc. No. 74-22.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68-3, Deposition of Jorge Fernandez, p. 89.
. See Brown v. Parker-Hannifin Corp., 919 F.2d 308, 311 (5th Cir. 1990).
. See Peart v. Dorel luvenile Group, Inc., No. 09-7463, 2011 WL 1336563 (E.D.La. April 7, 2011); Ortolano v. BDI Marketing, 05-989 (La.App. 5 Cir. 4/25/06), 930 So.2d 192.
. 283 F.3d 254, 268 n. 8 (5th Cir. 2002) (citing Scallan v. Duriron, 11 F.3d 1249, 1252 (5th Cir. 1994)).
. 206 F.3d 548, 551 (5th Cir. 2000).
. See Rec. Doc. No. 68-3, p. 5 (Deposition of Jorge Fernandez, p. 27, lines 1-3).
. Rec. Doc. No. 68-8.
. Guillot v. Aventis Pasteur, Inc., No. 02-3373, 2013 WL 4508003, at *17 (E.D.La.8/22/13) (citing Longo v. E.I. Dupont De Nemours & Co., 632 So.2d 1193 (La.Ct.App. 1994); Scallan v. Duriron Co., Inc., 11 F.3d 1249 (5th Cir. 1994); Washington v. Dep’t of Transp., 8 F.3d 296 (5th Cir. 1993); Davis v. Avondale Indus., Inc., 975 F.2d 169 (5th Cir. 1992); Bates v. E.D. Bullard Co., 76 So.3d 111 (La.Ct.App. 2011)).
. See Contranchis v. Travelers Insurance Co., 02-840 (La App. 5 Cir. 1/28/03), 839 So.2d 301 (appellate court affirmed the determination of the trial court that plaintiff was a sophisticated user); Bates v. E.D. Bullard Company, 2011-187 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/5/11), 76 So.3d 111 (appellate court affirmed trial court's application of the sophisticated user defense and rejected plaintiff's argument that there was an issue of fact on this issue).
. See Bustamente v. U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, No. 03-31160, 107 Fed.Appx. 426, 427, citing Cinel v. Connick, 15 F.3d 1338, 1345 (5th Cir. 1994).
. Shuff v. Brookshire Grocery Company, 45,-109 (La.App. 2 Cir. 3/3/10), 32 So.3d 1030, citing Linnear v. CenterPoint Energy Entex/Reliant Energy, 06-3030 (La.9/5/07), 966 So.2d 36.
. Id., citing Linnear, 966 So.2d at 36.
. Cangelosi v. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, 564 So.2d 654, 666 (La. 1989) (emphasis added).
. Lawson v. Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Inc., 2005-0257 (La.9/6/06), 938 So.2d 35, 45.
. Rec. Doc. No. 112.
. Abrogast v. Timex Corp., No. 05-2076, 2010 WL 148288, *5 (W.D.La. Jan. 12, 2010) (quoting La. R.S. § 9:2800.55).
. Id., quoting Stahl, 283 F.3d at 263 (citing La. R.S. § 9:2800.55) (emphasis added).
. Moore v. BASF Corporation, No. 11-1001, 2012 WL 6025917, *3 (E.D.La. Dec. 4, 2012) (quoting Welch v. Technotrim, Inc., 34,355 (La.App. 2 Cir. 1/24/01), 778 So.2d 728, 733) (emphasis added).
. Note 32, supra.
. Abrogast, 2010 WL 148288, at *5.
. Id. at * 6.
. Id., citing Grenier v. Med. Engineering Corp., 99 F.Supp.2d 759, 764 (W.D.La. 2000),
. No. 11-1001, 2012 WL 6025917 (E.D.La. Dec. 4, 2012).
. Id. at *2.
. Id., quoting Welch, 778 So.2d at 733.
. Id. at *3.
. Id. (See, e.g., Lacoste v. Pilgrim Int’l, No. 07-2904, 2009 WL 126847 (E.D.La. Jan. 15, 2009) (granting summary judgment since plaintiffs did not put forth evidence of defendant’s manufacturing specifications or demonstrate how the product in question materially deviated from such standards); Gray v. Indus. Plant Maint., No. 01-1167, 2004 WL 1661209 (E.D.La. July 23, 2004) (plaintiff did not have custody of tractor that allegedly injured him and so could not demonstrate how it deviated from the manufacturer’s standards); see also Ortolano, 930 So.2d at 195 ("[Plaintiff] has provided no evidence that this medication deviated from the manufacturer's specifications...”)).
. Id. (emphasis added).
. Spott v. Otis Elevator Co., 601 So.2d 1355, 1364 (La. 1992); see also Grenier, 243 F.3d at 205 ("Louisiana law does not allow a fact
. Rec. Doc. No. 115.
. Rec. Doc. No. 68.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jorge FERNANDEZ and Renee Fernandez v. TAMKO BUILDING PRODUCTS, INCORPORATED
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published