Hood v. Ryobi America Corp.

1999

Venue: Ct. App. 4th Cir.

Facts: Hood takes off the blade guard from his miter saw, directly disobeying warnings on the saw and in the manual. He is injured: he didn't expect the blade to fly out at him.

Posture: Summary judgment for defendants at trial.

Issue: Were the warnings adequate?

Holding: Yes. Affirmed.

Rule: A more detailed warning is only warranted if its benefits would outweigh the costs.

Reasoning: There were lots of warnings on this thing. We don't need encyclopedic warnings, just ones that are reasonable under the circumstances. There are many costs to warnings: proliferation reduces the chance that they can all be read and heeded, they might drive off customers, etc.

Dicta: