Marjorie Phyllis Downie v. Kent Products

On December 10, 1975, plaintiff suffered traumatic amputation of a portion of her right hand when it was crushed in a press which she was operating. The press had been manufactured by defendant E. W. Bliss Company. Defendant Bliss sold the press to plaintiff's employer, Kent Products, on June 16, 1961. At the time of her injury, plaintiff was using the press in conjunction with a die supplied by defendant General Motors Corporation. Plaintiff's employment required her to hand-load and hand-remove items which the press formed by a single stroke operating cycle activated by dual palm switches. Plaintiff was in the act of removing a finished piece from the press when it inexplicably restruck and crushed her hand. Defendants Kent Products and The Home Indemnity Company paid workers' compensation benefits to the plaintiff. The instant action was filed against defendants Bliss and General Motors. Plaintiff's complaint alleges separate counts of negligence, breach of warranty, strict liability, and fraud. Following a three-year discovery period, General Motors moved for and was granted summary judgment dismissing it from the suit.