Morris v. American Motors Corp.

The plaintiff was injured while working with a friend to correct a problem he was having starting his car. Thinking the problem was a loose connection between the battery cable and the solenoid, a component part in the starter system, the plaintiff’s friend tightened the nut which held the cable in place. Thereupon the starter turned over, the motor engaged, and the car lurched backward, pinning the plaintiff at his knees against the bumper of another car.

Claiming defects in the design of the starter system and in the solenoid itself, and alleging negligence in the car’s manufacture,…