Zavala v. Powermatic, Inc.

Gloria Zavala, formerly Gloria Soto, lost two fingers of her right hand in a drill press accident at Dakar Stamping Company, in Chicago. She sued both the manufacturer of the drill press, Powermatic, Inc., and Cutler-Hammer, Inc., the manufacturer of the machine’s "on/off” switch. The case was tried before a Cook County jury. The jury found neither Powermatic nor Cutler-Hammer at fault.

The appellate court vacated the jury’s finding and ordered a new trial. (260 Ill. App. 3d 963.) We reverse that decision and reinstate the jury’s verdict.

BACKGROUND

Zavala had been operating a drill press…