Sharpe v. Bestop, Inc.

We affirm the judgment of the Appellate Division substantially for the reasons stated in its opinion reported at 314 N.J.Super. 54, 713 A.2d 1079 (1998). We wish simply to note the court’s careful distinction between habit and character evidence when offered by product manufacturers seeking to overcome the heeding presumption that was established in Coffman v. Keene Corp., 133 N.J. 581, 628 A.2d 710 (1993). Specifically, the Appellate Division in this case held that only evidence of a habit related to the specific situation of a seat-belt warning, not a character trait, may be offered to…