Nguyen v. Western Digital Corp.
Annotate this CaseNguyen was born in 1994. She was 16 years old when she filed a complaint, alleging that her mother’s occupational exposure and her in utero exposure to hazardous and toxic chemicals at Western Digital Corporation (WDC) caused her to be born with agenesis of the corpus callosum (a birth defect affecting the structure of the brain) and other birth defects. She alleged that her parents did not know of the connection until 2008, when relatives heard on the radio that attorneys were investigating cases of birth defects caused by chemical exposures in the semiconductor industry. The trial court dismissed the action as barred by the statute of limitations for pre-birth injuries in Code of Civil Procedure section 340.4, as opposed to section 340.8, applicable to claims based on exposure to hazardous substances, which includes tolling for minority and mental incapacity. She also claimed equitable estoppel, arguing that WDC knew the chemicals it used caused reproductive harm and concealed the connection to her injuries. The appeals court reversed, holding that the claims were subject to section 340.8; that even though section 340.8 did not take effect until 10 years after Nguyen was born, it applies in this case because the allegations supported a claim of delayed accrual until December 1998; and that Nguyen is also entitled to tolling for minority.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.