John McShain, Inc. v. Cessna Aircraft Co.

563 F.2d 632 (1977)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
J
From our private database of 46,200+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

John McShain, Inc. v. Cessna Aircraft Co.

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
563 F.2d 632 (1977)

SC
Play video

Facts

John McShain, Inc. (McShain) (plaintiff) purchased a plane that was manufactured by Cessna Aircraft Company (Cessna) (defendant). The plane had mechanical issues with its landing gear. McShain hired Butler Aviation-Friendship, Inc. (Butler) (defendant) to repair the plane. However, the landing gear continued to fail after the repairs. McShain brought a defective-design suit against Cessna, and Butler was joined as a third-party defendant. Before filing suit, McShain had signed a release agreement releasing Butler from liability in exchange for $10 and the use of Ralph Harmon as an expert consultant. Harmon was an employee of Butler’s sister corporation. At trial, Harmon testified on behalf of McShain. Cessna then introduced the release agreement into evidence, over McShain’s objection. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Cessna. McShain moved for a new trial, and the trial court denied the motion. McShain appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 788,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 788,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 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.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 788,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,200 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Evidence

Key Terms