Seasword_v_Hilti
Topic: Michigan veil piercing standard
Source: CourtListener
Brickley, C.J.
This case involves liability of a nonmanufacturing seller for personal injuries that plaintiff Eric Seasword sustained while using a drill that is alleged to have been negligently designed. Plaintiff seeks recovery from defendant Hilti, Inc., on the basis of Hilti, Inc.'s, status as: (1) the nonmanufacturing seller or distributor of the drill (seller theory), (2) the apparent manufacturer of the drill, or (3) the subsidiary corporation of the manufacturer of the drill.
In this appeal, we are asked to decide whether the Court of Appeals erred by affirming the summary disposition of plaintiff's apparent-manufacturer theory and parent-subsidiary theory of liability.
For the reasons explained herein, we decline to adopt the apparent-manufacturer doctrine, and we affirm the decision of the Court of Appeals
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regarding- the summary disposition of plaintiff's parent-subsidiary theory of liability.
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PACTS
Plaintiff, Eric Seasword, was injured by a power drill while working for his employer on January 4, 1984. A plate attached to the drill bore the name and address of defendant, Hilti Incorporated. Imprinted in the drill itself were the words "hilti" and "Made in Liechtenstein." The drill was designed and manufactured by Hilti A.G., a Liechtenstein corporation who was not made a def…