Product Liability for West V. Caterpillar Tractor Company, Inc.

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Product Liability Lawsuit of Caterpillar Tractor Company, Inc. LEG 500 [ June 23, 2012 ] Describe the company and the product safety issue that led to the lawsuit. Caterpillar Tractor Company, Inc. is a part of Caterpillar, Inc. which is a well-developed business organization. It has been working worldwide for more than 85 years. It has provided lots of progressive and positive changes in every continent. In 2011, sales and revenues of Caterpillar, Inc. measured about $60.138 billion. Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company is a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services, Caterpillar Logistics Services and Progress Rail Services. Despite achievements of Caterpillar, Inc., the firm has several ethical issues that it must address. Some of these issues deal more with the nature of the company’s products than with anything the company itself has done. However, Caterpillar, Inc. has experienced some ethical challenges stemming from its own operations. Caterpillar, Inc. has one of the most popular product safety issues that led to the lawsuit. According to the Supreme Court of Florida, in July 21, 1976, a lawsuit of product safety issue “West v. Caterpillar Tractor Company, Inc.” was filed by plaintiff. The courts state that, “a Caterpillar grader operated by an employee of Houdaille Industries struck and ran over, with its left tandem wheel, Gwendolyn West, who died of massive internal injuries after six days in the hospital. As a result, the deceased’s husband, Leon West, individually, and as administrator of the estate of his deceased wife, claimed a right to damages against the Houdaille Industries and Caterpillar Tractor Company, Inc., the

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