Victorson v. Bock Laundry Machine Co.
New York Court of Appeals
37 N.Y.2d 395, 373 N.Y.S.2d 39, 335 N.E.2d 275 (1975)
- Written by Steven Pacht, JD
Facts
Bock Laundry Machine Company (Bock) (defendant) manufactured and sold an extractor for use in apartment-building laundry rooms and commercial laundromats. Three persons (collectively, users) who were injured in separate incidents due to alleged defects with Bock’s extractors brought strict-liability suits against Bock in separate actions in New York state court. Livia Victorson (plaintiff) was injured in 1969, and the extractor was sold in 1948; Alberto Rivera (plaintiff) was injured in 1967, and the extractor was sold in 1959; and Gwendolyn Brown (plaintiff) was injured in 1965, and the extractor was sold in 1955. Bock argued that Victorson’s, Rivera’s, and Brown’s claims were barred by the statute of limitations. Per Bock, it would be unfair to hold it responsible for a product defect that did not manifest until many years after the product left Bock’s factory. The appellate division held that the users’ claims were not time-barred. Bock appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Jones, J.)
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