Ferraro v. Hewlett-Packard Co.

Dist. Ct. did not err in granting defendant’s motion for summary judgment in action alleging that defendant’s power adapter to its laptop computer contained design defect that allowed adapter to overheat and burn plaintiff’s arm when she fell asleep on couch. Dist. Ct. found that plaintiff’s evidence was insufficient to establish that adapter was unreasonably dangerous under either consumer-expectations or risk-utility tests, and although Ct. of Appeals found that there was sufficient evidence to create triable issue under consumer-expectations test, plaintiff’s failure to challenge Dist. Ct.’s determination with regard to risk-utility test meant that she could not prevail on any remand since, under Illinois law, analysis of risk-utility test prevails in design defect case if consumer-expectations and risk utility tests produce conflicting results.