Cameron v. Otto Bock Orthopedic Industry, Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
43 F.3d 14 (1994)
Facts
William Cameron (plaintiff) had one of his legs amputated. Cameron received a prosthetic leg that consisted of parts manufactured by Otto Bock Orthopedic Industry, Inc. (Otto Bock) (defendant). Cameron fell and sustained injuries when one of the parts of the prosthetic leg broke. Cameron sued Otto Bock for products liability, claiming that the leg had a design defect. Otto Bock argued that the leg was designed properly but that Cameron’s prosthetist had screwed a clamp in the prosthetic leg too tightly, causing the break. After the incident, Otto Bock wrote letters to its prosthetist customers instructing the proper torque at which the clamps should be screwed into the company’s prosthetic legs. At trial, Cameron sought to introduce these letters as evidence of Otto Bock’s liability. The district court excluded the letters under Federal Rule of Evidence 407 (Rule 407). The jury found in Otto Bock’s favor. Cameron appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Boudin, J.)
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