Professional Documents
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Wilson v. Bradlees, 1st Cir. (1996)
Wilson v. Bradlees, 1st Cir. (1996)
No. 95-2293
Plaintiff, Appellant,
v.
Defendants, Appellees.
____________________
ERRATA SHEET
The opinion
of
this Court,
issued
on
September 25,
1996,
amended as follows:
On
"Court".
page 19,
2nd line
of
last
paragraph, replace
"court" w
No. 95-2084
Plaintiffs, Appellees,
v.
v.
____________________
____________________
Before
____________________
were on
brief
whom
for
Nick K. Malhotra
__________________
appellees
International Corp.
____________________
DAP,
Inc.
and Madan
_______
and
Champ
____________________
BOUDIN,
Circuit Judge.
______________
Joan Grenier
suffered
from
log home.
She and her family sued Vermont Log Buildings, Inc. ("Vermont
breaches
93A.1
of warranty,
Vermont
against the
district
Log in
court
rejecting
Because the
(1st
turn filed
granted
alleged.
violation of
Cir. 1993),
Mass. Gen.
L. ch.
summary
preservative.
judgment
Vermont Log's
for
The
the
third-party claims.
We affirm.
case was
of the facts is
Snow v.
____
negligence,
third-party complaint
manufacturers,
recitation
and
decided on summary
judgment, our
based primarily on
Harnischfeger Corp.,
___________________
12 F.3d
S. Ct.
the facts as
1154, 1157
56 (1994).
In
____________
of a log
house from
an authorized dealer
for Vermont
and
The
assembled there.
May 1975.
wood
preservative
Massachusetts
containing
the
Log.
the house in
active
ingredient
pentachlorophenol.
____________________
1Chapter
93A outlaws
trade
or
"[u]nfair methods
of competition
commerce,"
and permits
-2-2-
awards
conduct of
of
multiple
gastritis,
and continued to
back pain
was caused by
When
she
moved
out
her in
wood
Later tests
of
the
house,
her
level
of
At the
was
time the
registered
Insecticide,
U.S.C.
as a
136-136y.
(in this
pesticide as
Fungicide,
regulatory statutes
and
case)
and
FIFRA
that are
the
required by
Rodenticide
is one
cabin, Woodlife
of a
Act
("FIFRA"), 7
family of
concerned with
environment.
the Federal
Two
federal
health, safety
of
its
main
of
EPA approval of
id.
___
136a(a), and
136a(c)(1)(C).
In
early 1975,
approved,
use or
the
Woodlife labeling,
which EPA
had
warned that the product was toxic and was not "for
storage in or
The labeling
also
included
section
describing
the uses
of
the
product:
fences,
trellises, outside
lumber
furniture,
vacation homes,
On September 26,
-3-3-
all
homes" as a use
two
allegedly
related
"Vermont Log"),
log
home
corporate
caused
Joan
claims for
for negligence
entities
(collectively,
Grenier's illness.
bare bones
warranty breach,
injuries;
and
her
husband
claims as
in design,
The
in the
the
Greniers'
three
to warn,
for her
children
In
against
1991,
Vermont
Log
filed a
third-party
Roberts Consolidated
complaint
Industries, the
Thereafter,
Champion
third-party
defendant (Roberts
case by
agreement).
complaint asserted
L.
ch.
Woodlife,
International, Inc.,
231B based
and
was later
was
dropped
As amended, Vermont
claims
negligence by
for
breaches of
manufacturers.
-4-4-
from the
Log's third-party
on
added as
the
Mass. Gen.
manufacturers of
warranty
by
those
In August 1991,
diversity
grounds to
federal
third-party
Greniers'
defendants
In
district court
where it
on
was
moved for
summary
judgment on
the
On November 4, 1992,
and Robert
Grenier's warranty
statute
of limitations,
but that
their chapter
held
of
that
none
consortium was
the
barred by the
children's
period.
claims
93A claims
She
for
also
loss
of
of limitations was
Judge
Zobel further
to them
ruled
held that
because
Vermont
by selling
Log
the
participated
in
Greniers.
Finally,
Wisconsin Pub.
the
could seek
that
Vermont Log
could
not
logs to
the
obtain indemnification
Greniers Vermont
conduct
that
allegedly
damaged
Judge
Zobel
concluded
that
Intervenor v.
Log
the
under
597 (1991),
__________________________
_______
After Judge
Woodlife
manufacturers
filed
-5-5-
new
motions
for
summary
judgment, this
on
Log's remaining
Then-Magistrate Judge
In
July
1994,
Judge
Ponsor,
having
recently
been
case.
case brought
Judge
by a
Ponsor
failure to
there ruled
warn
and breach
that
of
FIFRA
Vermont Log.
preempted claims
implied warranty,
but
of
not
manufacture.
Jillson
_______
857 F.
labeling
and packaging" of
properly
supported
express
Judge
Gorton found
preempted,
"based
Gorton, he
Woodlife.
While noting
warranty
claim
Vermont
Log's
might
to the
that a
not
be
claim to
be
evidentiary
basis
pleadings."
Champion
favor.
and
for
entered a
the
claim
separate
-6-
was
final
provided
judgment in
in
the
their
-6-
On appeal,
Vermont Log
district court
it
the labeling
it asserts that
de
__
We
counts
allegedly
preempted
along
side
the
statutory
start
v.
and
that provision.
statute, we
Medtronic, Inc.
_______________
U.S.C.
(a) In general
pesticide or
if and to
sale
or
use
prohibited
subchapter.
(b) Uniformity
-7-7-
by
this
Such
State
shall
continue in effect
labeling
not
impose
any requirements
or packaging in
or
for
addition to or
under this
subchapter.
It
is apparent
not wholly
apparent
different
or
packaging."
by
the
additional
as other
U.S. at
from subsection
as well
(b)
612-13.
that the
And
it is
equally
state cannot
"requirements" for
See
___
"labeling
apply
and
Supreme
Court
in
Cipollone
_________
and
Lohr,
____
that
"requirements" in
causes of
includes state
S. Ct. at 2251-53
J.,
concurring in
Lohr, 116
____
part
and concurring
in judgment),
id.,
___
in
22 (plurality
opinion), id.,
___
548-49 (Scalia, J.
and Thomas
Co.,
___
114 S. Ct.
itself.
(1993).
Our
case involves
third-party claims--by
Ct. 300
the log
-8-8-
in
the
preemption
consumers.
claims based
clause
Indeed,
limits
Vermont
its
effects
Log itself
to
suits
concedes that
by
its
Here,
counts, two
DAP
different categories
and Champion.
Log's
liable
complaint says
to
Vermont
In
parallel counts
that DAP
Log
own
directed at
III and
and Champion
for their
then
of claims are
V, Vermont
are or
"negligent
may be
design,
simply as the
basis
for
a pro
rata
contribution claim
against
DAP and
Champion.2
Then, in
breach of
may be liable
[apparently
a reference
to
Woodlife]
for
was of
merchantable
____________________
2It is
contribution
unclear why
since
the
Vermont Log
negligent acts
sought
only pro
alleged
rata
might also
-9-9-
quality,
particular
free
of
hazardous
purpose intended."
defects,
On
and
this claim,
Log's
litigation.
claims
It is
easiest to
functionally,
for
the
Vermont Log
the
fit
that
in conducting
discuss all
is,
in
of Vermont
terms
of
the
Failure to warn.
_______________
Vermont
Log,
preemption
manufacturers should
was
not
suitable
presented
The
as a
aside,
is
that
for
residences.
negligence claim
the
Woodlife
This
or a
for
claim,
claim for
whether
breach of
case is concerned.
claim so
Here
claims
lurks a
based
potentially vexing
on
what
was
problem:
said
conversations, in correspondence, or
or
one
not
can imagine
said
during
or the
these
absence of such
kinds of
claims
signs.
Whether
should
be
-10-10-
and to what
preempted depends
extent
on
The answers
But
the
structure
of
FIFRA
indicates
that Congress
136a(c); 40
C.F.R.
156.10.
If
See 7 U.S.C.
___
to
to
means, it is
incumbent on the
Vermont
On appeal,
to warn claim
is based
on anything other
than the
alleged
Affirmative misstatement.
________________________
an
express warranty
may be created
"affirmation
fact or
goods"
of
promise"
bargain.
Mass.
statement
Gen. L.
might also
ch. 106,
support a
negligent misrepresentation.
429 N.E.2d
1129, 1133-34
conceivably
be
based
or
makes any
"description of
part of the
2-213.
the
basis of the
An
inaccurate
recovery under a
theory of
(Mass. 1982).
either
on
Such claims
statements
made
could
in
the
____________________
3Compare
_______
Ct.
80
warnings not
(1992)
v.
statute requiring
point-of-sale
Gro, 54 F.3d 555, 561 (9th Cir. 1995) (failure to warn claims
___
based on inadequacy of point-of-sale signs preempted).
-11-11-
labeling
or elsewhere;
and the
statements might
be either
These variations
preemption questions.
to FIFRA itself,
give rise to
different and
difficult
Sporicidin Int'l, 47
_____________ ____
F.3d
As
blurred by
disagreements
________________
within the
Court.
But, in
this
was
suitable
for
application
to
"all
wood
that Woodlife
and
lumber
products."
in
EPA-approved
labeling.
To premise
liability
on
the
Yet the
in the labeling.
a state requirement
as to
law.
7 U.S.C.
136v.
only
express
warranty
See
___
Thus
the
claim
specifically
identified
by
Misdesign or manufacture.
_________________________
Whether on
a warranty
or
the
design
or
manufacture
of
-12-12-
be premised on mistakes in
the
product,
and
the
1984).
277 (Mass.
their precise
FIFRA,
the situation
is complicated
statute.
by the
Under
fact that
the
the agency to
In all
manufacturing
7 U.S.C.
events, merely
defect
claim
to call
____
does
as
136a(a).
something
not
a design
automatically
or
avoid
FIFRA's explicit
Litigation, 859
__________
Vermont
that
F. Supp. 619,
Log's only
Woodlife
because
preemption clause.
it
was
was
In re DuPont-Benlate
_____________________
elaborated claim
defectively
foreseeable
under this
designed
that
it
would
effectively no more
than an
or
attack on the
heading is
manufactured
be
But
Here,
used
on
this claim is
failure to
warn
This
certainly does
not mean
that every
misdesign or
In
batch
defective
of
properly
or
pesticide that,
tainted;
while
made
or
products,
perhaps
one
one
properly approved
item
might
be
might
design
and
labeled,
was
it
is hard
to
see
why
FIFRA
preemption
would
even
be
-13-13-
arguable;
preemption
claim, based
not on
would be at
section
most an implied
_______
136v but
on EPA's
approval of
it is
by no means
clear that
However, in
hint
whatever
mismanufactured
regard as
not
fit
of
how
beyond
a disguised
for
Woodlife
Vermont
has
been
has provided no
misdesigned
or
Log's suggestion--which
we
residential
use.
Vermont
product was
Log's
position,
implicit
no
disclosure or
such
elaboration
was
required.
It
is
is automatically preempted.
of
evidence in
their motion
for summary
judgment, Vermont
Log's
little
in
judgment
the way
stage
to
out of hand.
Vermont Log
Celotex Corp.
_____________
of a
negative
require
evidence--trialworthy
Vermont
evidence
of a
averment at
Log
to
take very
the summary
identify
specific
its
misdesign or
____________________
Medtronic,
_________
Act), with
____
18 F.3d
Ct. at 2622-23.
13 (1st Cir.
Compare Mendes
_______ ______
1994) (Medical
In re DuPont-Benlate-Litigation, 859
_______________________________
622-23 (FIFRA).
-14-14-
Device
F. Supp. at
claim.
was not
a disguised
mislabeling
Whether
Vermont Log
challenge could be
judgment
motion was
debated.
On the one
cast primarily
notice of
a Celotex
_______
hand, the
in abstract
summary
preemption
have
or
misdesign
recast
As is often
categorical rules.
If
we
thought
that
Vermont Log
had
been
genuinely
or
mismanufacture
manufacturers to
claim
and
formulate
a new
require
the
summary judgment
chemical
motion.
or how it had
been
unearth
denied
promising
opportunity
to
this
persistent
subject were
questions
on
the
met
only
with
generalities.
It is too late
It is one
-15-15-
after
might
or
bear fruit.
manufacturing defect,
identified
them,
let
Vermont Log
alone
pointed
has
never adequately
to
any
supporting
evidence.
Indemnification.
_______________
As
already explained,
Vermont Log's
claims for full recovery but merely as the basis for pro rata
contribution
under the
Massachusetts statute.
Conversely,
although
the
warranty counts
seek
to indemnification,
the
same damages
that
a distinct
a vicariously
obtain
reimbursement
from
culpable
641,
party
(e.g.,
____
ed.
innocent principal) to
51,
at 341-44 (5th
644-45
(Mass.
1983).
Thus,
indemnification
may
-16-16-
sometimes
be
available even
when no
other direct
says as
an alternative
tort or
On
appeal, Vermont
indemnity" on
Log
Zobel erred in
final
of
is permitted only
where
one does
not join
principle may be
Log's
theories asserted by
automatically
is far from
this case--at
clear that
least on
the Greniers--is of
preclude an
. .
."
We
sound, it
culpability in
Vermont
some warranty
a kind that
indemnification claim
would
by Vermont
Yet even if we
participation in the
body of
state
to
claim does
state; but
require a
in
Massachusetts, an
showing of
fault on
The
indemnification
the part of
the
_____
parties
or
parties
against
indemnification is leveled.
whom
the
demand
for
against DAP
breaches of
warranty made
the charges of
in counts
-17-17-
negligence and
III-VI of the
amended
third-party complaint.
We have already
because
they are
And if these
both too
general and
wholly unsupported.
inadequate, there is
no
There is a
in
an
unhappy position
against it while
it would
that is pertinent to
where
the
no longer
it with Woodlife.
Greniers might
recover
have recourse
against
This
assumes, perhaps
time
to avoid
defense
prove a
every
type of
preemption
at the
and any
same
kind
possible ignorance.
of
But
final judgment
the entry of a
separate
on its
of the
If Vermont
and appealed
___
much open
first-party
on that issue in
to such an argument.
and
be very
third-party claims
in
this
case and
the
-18-18-
But
no objection to
the
district court
judgment.
this argument.
had
no obligation
If it had
judgment, certainly
to
withhold such
unknown
to
complaints.
us,
for
Our sole
allowing the
uncoupling
of
two
is to
Affirmed.
________
the
-19-19-