American National Watermattress Corp. v. Manville
Alaska Supreme Court
642 P.2d 1330 (1982)
- Written by Darius Dehghan, JD
Facts
Florence Manville (plaintiff) purchased a waterbed that was manufactured by American National Watermattress Corporation (American National) (defendant). The waterbed rolled off its pedestal, resulting in injury to Manville. After the accident, Manville contacted a law firm. Manville sought to obtain legal advice from the firm. The firm’s attorneys were busy working on other matters. Thus, Chuck Ward, an investigator at the firm, went to interview Manville. Ward was employed by the firm to assist the attorneys in providing legal services. Ward tape-recorded the statements Manville made during the interview. Later, the firm accepted Manville’s case and filed suit against American National. At the trial court, American National filed a motion to compel, contending that Manville was required to disclose her statements to Ward. The trial-court judge denied the motion, finding that Manville’s statements to Ward were protected by the attorney-client privilege. Subsequently, the jury found in favor of Manville. American National appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Burke, J.)
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