Kaufman v. Meditec, Inc.

• Decision Date: 11 July 1984
• Docket Number: No. 10542,10542
• Citation: 353 N.W.2d 297
• Parties: Hilda KAUFMAN, Plaintiff, Appellee, and Cross-Appellant, v. MEDITEC, INC., Defendant, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, a/k/a 3M Company, Defendant, Appellant, and Cross Appellee. Civ.
• Court: North Dakota Supreme Court

Page 297

353 N.W.2d 297

Hilda KAUFMAN, Plaintiff, Appellee, and Cross-Appellant, v. MEDITEC, INC., Defendant,

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, a/k/a 3M

Company, Defendant, Appellant, and Cross

Appellee.

Civ. No. 10542.

Supreme Court of North Dakota.

July 11, 1984.

Paul G. Kloster [argued], of Mackoff, Kellogg, Kirby & Kloster, Dickinson, for appellant and cross-appellee Minnesota Mining and Mfg. Co.

Claudette Abel, of Mackoff, Kellogg, Kirby & Kloster, Dickinson and Thomas A. Boardman, St. Paul, Minn., general counsel, for 3M Co.

Dann E. Greenwood [argued], of Greenwood, Greenwood & Greenwood, Dickinson, for appellee and cross-appellant.

GIERKE, Justice.

This is an appeal by the defendant, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company [3M] from a judgment entered on a jury verdict in the District Court of Stark County. We vacate and remand.

On October 21, 1974, the plaintiff, Hilda Kaufman [Kaufman], underwent a total hip replacement surgery wherein her left hip was replaced. This surgical procedure included the implantation of a prosthetic hip pin into the femur bone. The pin was secured to the femur with a bone cement, known as Surgical Simplex P Radiolucent Bone Cement. The function of the cement is to transmit the patient's weight from the stem of the pin to the surrounding bone.

The prosthetic hip pin was implanted by Dr. Ervin P. Wenz at the Dakota Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota. Kaufman's right hip had been replaced by Dr. Wenz in the same manner in March of 1973. The pin used by Dr. Wenz in replacing Kaufman's left hip was a 22mm Charnley-style femoral stem manufactured by Meditec. 3M is the successor in interest to Meditec.

Approximately five years later, in October of 1979, Kaufman began to experience pain in her groin area. X-rays taken on December 3, 1979, revealed that the pin implanted in Kaufman's left femur was broken. On December 7, 1979, the broken pin was removed by Dr. Wenz.

Dr. Wenz encountered much difficulty in removing the fractured pin because the lower portion was firmly embedded in the bone cement. The doctor attempted to drill a hole into the lower portion of the pin in order to attach a reverse screw and thereby pull the pin out. Dr. Wenz's tools, however, did not have enough speed to penetrate the metal alloy. He therefore elected to cut a "window" into Kaufman's femur at a point approximately one-and-one-half to two inches below the lower tip of the pin. He was then able to remove some of the cement and bone securing the pin and tap the pin up and out the top of the femur. Dr. Wenz then replaced the pin with a second standard size Charnley-style femoral stem.

On June 26, 1980, Kaufman fell and broke her left femur at the point where Dr. Wenz had cut the "window", in December of 1979. The second pin did not break but surgery was required to repair the bone. The surgery was performed by Dr. Norman B. Ordahl of Dickinson, North Dakota. Dr. Ordahl fastened a metal plate over the break, using six screws to attach it to the bone.

Following the June 1980 surgery, Kaufman's femur did not mend properly. In May of 1981 she was placed in a body cast for approximately six weeks but the femur still did not heal. Kaufman was then referred back to Dr. Wenz in Fargo.

Dr. Wenz's solution was to replace the pin he had earlier implanted in Kaufman's leg with a longer pin which extended to a point below the "window" and to graft bone around the break. Another period of convalescence followed, but, at the time of trial, Kaufman was able to walk with the use of a cane.

Kaufman commenced this action on November 17, 1981, against 3M and Meditec, Inc. She claims damages under theories of strict product liability, negligence, and breach of warranty for the injuries resulting from the fracture of the prosthetic hip pin in October of 1979. 3M's separate answer denied that the hip pin was defective; that the hip pin was negligently designed or manufactured; or that any express or implied warranties were breached. 3M further asserted that Chapter 28-01.1, N.D.C.C., excluded the application of strict liability principles to Kaufman's cause of action.

Prior to trial, the district court ruled that 3M was responsible for the acts of Meditec. The court also ruled that there was no basis for Kaufman's claim for breach of warranty because the statute of limitations had run. At trial Kaufman abandoned all claims of negligence. Those rulings have not been appealed. The sole issue remaining at trial was whether or not the pin was defective, as defined by the doctrine of strict liability in tort.

The testimony at trial centered primarily on whether or not the alloy used to make the prosthetic hip pin and the manufacturing process employed were appropriate; whether the pin contained defects that made it unreasonably dangerous to the user; whether more suitable alloys were available during the relevant time period; and whether other factors contributed to the fracture of the pin.

In summary, Kaufman's position at trial, as presented by Dr. F.D.S. Marques, was that the hip pin broke as the result of two casting defects in the metal and a notch on the side of the pin, which was most likely caused by post-manufacture handling. In Dr. Marques's opinion, the hip pin failed as a result of the casting defects within the pin. He testified that the defects were manufacturing defects which contributed substantially to the pin's failure and that they could not be considered normal in a casting of reasonably good quality. He further testified that the defects predisposed the hip pin to failure by fatigue and that they could have been detected by nondestructive means. Regarding the presence of the notch caused by post-manufacture handling, Dr. Marques stated that the fracture of the pin would have occurred even without it, but that its presence merely defined the point at which the fracture originated.

3M's position, as presented by its metallurgical experts, was that the alloy used in the manufacture of the hip pin was the most widely used, strongest, and most biocompatible material available; that it met and surpassed the applicable standards; that it was subjected to and passed a number of stringent quality control tests designed to detect irregularities that might constitute defects; and that the pin was not defective.

3M also presented evidence that a number of other factors may have contributed to the pin's failure. Of particular significance were Kaufman's overweight condition; bone resorption in Kaufman's left femur, and consequent looseness of the pin in the cement; and the surgical technique employed by Dr. Wenz in the original 1974 surgery.

The jury returned a verdict in favor of Kaufman and awarded damages of $234,691.43. Judgment was entered on July 11, 1983. On July 21, 1983, 3M moved for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict or, in the alternative, for a new trial and for a review of taxation of costs. The district court denied the motions but reduced the costs taxed against 3M. An amended judgment on jury verdict was entered on October 6, 1983. 3M appeals from the amended judgment. Kaufman also filed a cross-appeal from the amended judgment, questioning the district court's action in reducing her costs and disbursements from $20,972.38 to $9,052.97.

3M has presented a number of issues on appeal. Because we find it dispositive of this appeal, we will begin with 3M's argument that the jury was incorrectly instructed regarding the meaning of "unreasonably dangerous" within the context of an action for strict liability in tort.

The doctrine of strict liability in tort imposes liability on the manufacturer or seller, or both, for injuries sustained as a result of a defective condition, unreasonably dangerous to a consumer or his property, or for failure to give adequate and proper warning. Day v. General Motors, Corp., 345 N.W.2d 349 (N.D.1984); Olson v. A.W. Chesterton Co., 256 N.W.2d 530 (N.D.1977); Johnson v. American Motors Corp., 225 N.W.2d 57 (N.D.1974). In order to recover under this doctrine, the plaintiff must show by a preponderance of the evidence that the product was defective in design or manufacture; that the defect rendered the product unreasonably dangerous to the consumer; that the defect existed when the product left the manufacturer; that the product was expected to and did reach the consumer without substantial change in its condition; and that the defect was a proximate cause of the plaintiff's injuries. Stillwell v. Cincinnati, Inc., 336 N.W.2d 618 (N.D.1983); Wilson v. General Motors Corp., 311 N.W.2d 10 (N.D.1981).

Of particular concern in this case is the requirement that the defect render the product "unreasonably dangerous". This requirement is an integral part of the doctrine of strict liability in tort in North Dakota. Hagert v. Hatton Commodities, Inc., 350 N.W.2d 591 (N.D.1984); Stillwell v. Cincinnati, Inc., supra; Wilson v. General Motors Corp., supra.

In its instructions to the jury, the court...