Frey v. Rockford Safety Equipment Co.

— Order unanimously affirmed without costs. Memorandum: The court properly granted summary judgment to defendants, the manufacturers of two safety components incorporated into a punch press, on the ground that plaintiff’s employer had modified and in fact defeated the purpose of the safety components, thus causing plaintiff’s injury. A manufacturer may not be cast in damages, either for negligence or for products liability, where, after the product leaves the manufacturer’s hands, there is a subsequent modification that substantially alters the product and is the proximate cause of…