MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co.
E100413
MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co. is a landmark 1916 New York Court of Appeals case that expanded manufacturers’ liability in negligence to consumers, even without privity of contract.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co. canonical | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
New York Court of Appeals decision
ⓘ
court case ⓘ landmark case ⓘ product liability case ⓘ tort law case ⓘ |
| citation |
111 N.E. 1050
ⓘ
217 N.Y. 382 ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| court | New York Court of Appeals ⓘ |
| decisionDate | 1916 ⓘ |
| defendant |
Buick
ⓘ
surface form:
Buick Motor Company
|
| factPattern |
Buick had purchased the wheel from an independent supplier and sold the completed car to a dealer, who then sold it to MacPherson.
ⓘ
Plaintiff was injured when a wheel of a Buick automobile collapsed while he was driving. ⓘ The defective wheel could have been discovered by reasonable inspection by the manufacturer. ⓘ |
| holding |
A manufacturer of a product that is reasonably certain to place life and limb in peril when negligently made owes a duty of care to persons beyond the immediate purchaser.
ⓘ
Privity of contract is not required for a consumer to sue a manufacturer in negligence for personal injuries caused by a defective product. ⓘ |
| impact |
eroded the privity barrier in American tort law
ⓘ
expanded manufacturers’ liability in negligence to ultimate consumers ⓘ influenced subsequent adoption of strict products liability doctrines ⓘ laid groundwork for modern product liability law in the United States ⓘ |
| involvedParty |
Buick
ⓘ
surface form:
Buick Motor Company
Donald C. MacPherson ⓘ |
| issue | Whether a manufacturer owes a duty of care in negligence to a consumer not in privity of contract with the manufacturer. ⓘ |
| judge |
Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo
ⓘ
surface form:
Benjamin N. Cardozo
Cuthbert W. Pound ⓘ Emory A. Chase ⓘ Frederick Collin ⓘ Willard Bartlett ⓘ William H. Cuddeback NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| jurisdiction | New York ⓘ |
| legalArea |
consumer protection
ⓘ
negligence ⓘ product liability ⓘ |
| legalPrinciple |
abolition of privity requirement in negligence actions against manufacturers for dangerous products
ⓘ
duty of care extends to any person foreseeably endangered by the negligent manufacture of a product ⓘ foreseeability as a basis for duty in negligence ⓘ |
| opinionBy |
Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo
ⓘ
surface form:
Benjamin N. Cardozo
|
| plaintiff | Donald C. MacPherson ⓘ |
| precedentFor | duty of manufacturers to remote users of products ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
dangerous products
ⓘ
duty of care ⓘ foreseeable plaintiff ⓘ privity of contract ⓘ |
| result | judgment for the plaintiff ⓘ |
| stateLaw | New York law ⓘ |
| status | good law in New York as a foundational negligence precedent ⓘ |
| timePeriod | 20th century ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Benjamin N. Cardozo