Gray v. Manitowoc Company
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
771 F.2d 866 (1985)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Gray (plaintiff) was a construction worker working with a crane manufactured by Manitowoc Company (Manitowoc) (defendant). The crane had a blind spot when the boom was lowered, resulting in the operator’s not being able to see part of his surroundings. Gray was struck by the crane because the operator could not see him. Gray brought a products-liability suit against Manitowoc, claiming that Manitowoc should have designed the crane with mirrors or cameras to ensure that the operator had full vision at all times. Testimony at trial established that this type of crane’s blind spot was common knowledge in the construction industry. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Gray. Manitowoc filed a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. The trial court denied the motion, and Manitowoc appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Davis, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 806,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
