YOU Be The Lawyer #2: Special Contest Edition!
A basic rule of Product Liability is that manufacturers of hazardous products have a duty to warn customers of their products’ potential dangers. If they don’t, they can (and probably will) be sued on the grounds of Warning Defect.
In class, we’ve read warnings for boats (“WARNING! ENGINE EXAUST GAS IS DEADLY!”), floor adhesives, (“DANGER! EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE!”), and tires (“ * TIRE MAY EXPLODE WHEN REINFLATED CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH*”).
Warnings children of products’ dangers is particularly difficult because 1) some children can’t read and 2) according to my Product Liability textbook, the Pittsburgh Poison Center of the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh found that “the traditional skull and crossbones symbol…
…tended to attract rather than repel small children to hazardous substances so labeled” because “children associated the symbol with cartoon pirates, adventure, and excitement.”
In response to the above finding, researches conducted a study in which children were shown bottles of mouthwash with various pictorial labels and asked to select the bottle from which they’d least like to drink. None of the kids wanted to drink from the bottle with “Mr. Yuk’s” face on it.
This leads us to the contest…
You’ve been asked to represent the GLOBO-CHEM Corporation, which manufactures a new drain cleaner called “Extra-Strength GLOBO-CHEM Pipe Master Blaster 6000: New Formula.” GLOBO-CHEM wanted to put Mr. Yuk’s face on the bottle, but can’t afford to. In fact, GLOBO-CHEM doesn’t have the money to pay for any pictorial warning at all.
That’s where you come in: GLOBO-CHEM has asked you to create a warning for their new drain cleaner that an average seven-year-old will be able to read and understand.
WHAT DOES YOUR WARNING SAY?
(For the purpose of this contest, assume that an average seven-year-old can read and understand only one-syllable words. Further assume that an average seven-year-old will only read nine words before getting bored.)
The winner of this contest will receive a personalized congratulatory e-mail from my Product Liability professor Bruce Ottley!
The e-mail will be reprinted on LawSchoolBlogger.com the week of April 1st.
Technorati Tags: Product Liability, Warning, Lawyer
Posted in YOU be the Lawyer | 
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March 12th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Poop!
March 12th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Counselor Jake,
So far you’re in the lead.
-Rick Lax
March 12th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
“If you drink this, you will die!”
March 13th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Yuck! Tastes like ear wax and tin foil! Yuck!
March 13th, 2007 at 8:07 am
this manufactured article is deemed by a panel of experts to be unbefitting of consumption by personages of all ages. thank you and please enjoy this product!
March 13th, 2007 at 10:27 am
“Unless your name is Elliot, don’t eat this.”
March 13th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
RAMBO out.
March 13th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
I was going to enter the competition but it seems futile after ‘rob’ clearly took the most objectively correct answer possible.
March 13th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Your contest assumes that the 7 year old will read english.
March 13th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
No! No! Because I said so!
March 13th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
some smilies might work:
X-( User just died.
:-( Sad , Boo hoo
…—… S.O.S.
March 14th, 2007 at 4:40 am
Yuck! Do NOT drink this, it will hurt you!
March 14th, 2007 at 7:22 am
This exercise is unrealistic. No lawyer is able to create a meaningful warning or for that matter any other legal document in only eight words.
March 23rd, 2007 at 12:01 pm
If you drink this, you will die.
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September 14th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Our neighbors throing the total outside of the fridge! They ve bought pork recently and the proprietor said that it was from mexico! Should we not eat pork now?
September 15th, 2009 at 3:48 am
Are you kidding me!!??? Swine FLU??? In sommer in heat? Is it uniform possible? I am from Cali and I nervous! Slow vigorous!
September 15th, 2009 at 10:01 am
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September 26th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
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September 27th, 2009 at 1:53 am
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December 13th, 2009 at 6:20 am
Maybe somebody knows where i can find and buy normal and high-quality secateurs online?
Thank you;)