Confirm favorite deletion?
Torts Keyed to Epstein
Volkswagen of America, Inc. v. Young
Facts
Plaintiff, the decedent, was stopped at a red light. He was driving a car built by Defendant. A negligent driver hit Plaintiff from behind and his car was pushed forward. The seat bracketing pieces and seat adjustment mechanisms broke away from the body of the car. In the “second collision,” Plaintiff was hurled into the rear of the car, injuring his head and torso. These injuries caused his death. Plaintiff sued Defendant, complaining that the car was “defectively designed, manufactured, and marketed with defects which rendered it structurally hazardous, not merchantable, and not fit for the purpose intended” in that, its entire seat assembly was “unreasonably vulnerable to separation from the floor upon collision.” After Plaintiff filed his complaint, Defendant moved to have the following question certified for decision by the Court of Appeals of Maryland: (1) whether or not the definition of the intended use of a motor vehicle includes the vehicle’s involvement in a collision; and (2) whether a cause of action is stated against the manufacturer in breach of warranty, negligence, or absolute liability that the design and manufacture of the vehicle unreasonably increased the risk of injury to occupants following a collision not caused by any defect of the vehicle.
Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*
Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.
*Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue
- The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
Topic:
Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.Parties:
Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.Procedural Posture & History:
Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:
A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:
Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
- The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
Brief Facts:
A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.Rule of Law:
Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.Facts:
What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.Issue(s):
Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.Holding:
Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:
Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.Reasoning and Analysis:
Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
- The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
Policy:
Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.Court Direction:
Shares where the Court went from here for this case.