Court: US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
Docket: 20-4026
Opinion Date: April 22, 2021
Judge: Carson
Areas of Law: Civil Procedure, Personal Injury, Products Liability
Plaintiff Nathan Petersen Plaintiff injured himself while operating the Raymond Model 4200 stand-up counterbalance lift truck (“Raymond forklift”). The Raymond forklift had an open compartment. So it did not fully enclose the operator’s lower extremities. When Plaintiff lost control of the Raymond forklift, his left leg slid out of the open compartment and he crushed it against warehouse racking. Plaintiff argued the district court impermissibly closed the door on the strict product liability claim he brought against Defendant Raymond Corporation (“Raymond”) alleging it defectively manufactured a forklift. In support of his claim, he sought to offer expert testimony that the forklift would be safer if it had a literal door on it. The district court found the expert’s testimony unreliable and excluded it. It then granted a related motion for summary judgment in Raymond’s favor. Plaintiff appealed. “The district court serves as a gatekeeper, shutting the door on unreliable expert testimony.” Finding the district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the testimony, the Tenth Circuit affirmed the judgment.
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