Weigle SPX Corp., No. 12-3024 (7th Cir. 2013)
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Weigle and Moore were experienced mechanics employed by Truckers 24‐Hour in Indianapolis; they undertook a job to rebuild the braking system on a semi‐truck trailer. The trailer somehow moved as both were working underneath it, causing the support stands to tip over and the trailer to come crashing down. The support stands were designed by SPX. In a suit against SPX, the mechanics alleged inadequate warnings and defective design under the Indiana Product Liability Act, Ind. Code 34‐20‐1‐1. The district court granted SPX summary judgment, finding that the warnings were adequate as a matter of law and that, as a result, the support stands were not defective under Indiana law. The Seventh Circuit affirmed as to the inadequate‐warnings claims, but vacated with respect to the defective‐design claims. A reasonable fact finder could determine that the SPX support stands were in a defective condition that was unreasonably dangerous. That the SPX support stands differ from most others on the market tends to show that their design is not contemplated by reasonable expected users.
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