Greenman v. Yuba Power Prods., Inc. - 377 P.2d 897 (Cal. 1963)

I. Issue
Whether Defendant is liable for a defect in its product when there was not enough evidence that the D was negligent or breached any express or implied warranty.
II. Fact
P brought this action against the retailer and the manufacturer of a Shopsmith, a combination power tool that could be used as a saw, drill, and wood lathe.  After P had worked on the piece of wood several times without difficulty, it suddenly flew out of the machine and struck him on the forehead, inflicting serious injuries.
III. Reasoning
A manufacturer is strictly liable in tort when an article he places on the market, knowing that it is to be used without inspection for defects,proves to have a defect that causes injury to a human being.  The purpose of such liability is to insure that the costs of injuries resulting from defective products are borne by the manufacturers that put such products on the market rather than by the injured persons who are powerless to protect themselves.  To establish the manufacturer's liability, it was sufficient that P proved that he was injured while using the Shopsmith in a way it was intended to be used as a result of a defect in design and manufacture of which plaintiff was not aware that made the Shopsmith unsafe for its intended use.
IV. Holding
D is strictly liable for the Shopsmith.