Dashi v. Nissan N. Am., Inc.

WEINZWEIG, Judge:

¶1 The Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution bars a state common-law tort claim under the doctrine of implied preemption when it presents an obstacle to the purposes and objectives of a federal law or regulation. A federal agency may trigger implied obstacle preemption when it refuses to set formal equipment standards to advance a regulatory purpose or objective. At issue here is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's ("NHTSA") refusal to set formal standards for advanced automatic braking technologies in light vehicles, and whether that refusal…