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Henderson v. Ford Motor Co.

Texas Supreme Court

519 S.W.2d 87 (1974)

Facts

Irene Henderson (plaintiff) was driving when her car lost the ability to slow down. Henderson intentionally drove into a pole, suffering injuries, to avoid causing injuries to others in traffic. The cause of the malfunction appeared to be a piece of gasket that had been attached to the air-filter housing before becoming dislodged and getting stuck in the carburetor. The subsequent model of the same car replaced this gasket with one that engineers considered to be of sounder design. Henderson brought suit against both the car’s manufacturer, Ford Motor Co. (Ford) (defendant), and the dealer from which she purchased it, Snelling Motor Company (defendant). The trial court found in favor of Henderson, but the case was remanded by the appellate court. The Texas Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Reavley, J.)

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Dissent (Johnson, J.)

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