Supreme Court of Illinois

In a strict liability and negligence suit arising from a deadly fire caused by a lighter designed and manufactured by defendant, summary judgement for the defendant is reversed where: 1) evidence that child-resistant designs were available and feasible and the trier of fact could have found liability under the "risk-utility" test; and 2) any open and obvious danger in connection with the product does not negate the defendants' common law duty to exercise ordinary care.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/16/2007
• Published 02/16/2007

Judges

• Justice BURKE delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion:

Court

• Supreme Court of Illinois

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Michael D. Freeborn, Michael P. Kornak, Patrick J. Woytek, of Freeborn & Peters, LLP, Chicago, Mark K. Suzumoto, Keith A. Sipprelle, of Van Etten Suzumoto & Becket, LLP, Santa Monica, California, Kenneth A. Peterson, of McGuire Woods, LLP, Los Angeles, California, for appellants., Jeffrey S. Hebrank, Edwardsville, Michael L. Young, St. Louis, Missouri, both of Burroughs, Hepler, Broom, MacDonald, Hebrank & True, LLP, for amicus curiae Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel., James P. Costello, Bruce R. Pfaff, Chicago, for amicus curiae Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.


• For Appellees:
  
• Michael T. Reagan, of Herbolsheimer, Lannon, Henson, Duncan & Reagan, P.C., Ottawa, Thomas A. Demetrio, Margaret M. Power, Corboy & Demetrio, Chicago, for appellee Susan Calles., Terrence M. Burns, Pamela Davis Gorcowski, John M. Steed, of Dykema Gossett, PLLC, Chicago, Charles E. Reiter III, Maywood, for appellees Richard Fox and Loyola University Medical Center.