Mares

INTRODUCTION

Following a strict products liability jury trial regarding a minivan fire, Defendant and Appellant FCA US LCC (formerly known as Chrysler Group LLC and hereinafter referred to as Chrysler) appeals the judgment entered in favor of Plaintiffs and Respondents Stephen A. Mares, Stephen J. Mares, Hethalein Mares, Seth Mares, and Sophia Mares. Chrysler argues that the judgment requires reversal because: (1) the court erred when it instructed the jury on the consumer expectation test rather than the risk/benefit test to establish Chrysler’s liability for Plaintiffs’ product defect claim, (2) the court improperly instructed the jury during deliberations regarding the subject matter of the consumer expectation test, (3) Plaintiffs’ accident reconstruction expert’s opinion lacked evidentiary support, (4) Plaintiffs’ expert showed the jury an inaccurate animation of how the vehicle fire occurred, (5) the court improperly excluded Chrysler’s evidence regarding the absence of similar vehicle fires, and (6) the jury committed misconduct by considering evidence outside the record. We conclude that the court properly instructed the jury on the consumer expectation test, the jury…