# Amicus Curiae Brief — Williamson v. Mazda Motor of America, Inc. (No. 08-1314) > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/brief%3Amicro_IA43085015_0472%3A11 ## Record - **Collection:** Supreme Court brief - **Document type:** Amicus Curiae Brief - **Published:** January 1, 2009 ## Text «Count US " #4 AUG 6 - 2010 No. OS-1814 OFFICE OF rE CLERK In the Supreme Court of the Cited States DELBERT WILLIAMSON, ET AL., PETUPIONERS v. MAZDA MoOrok OF AMERICA, ING., ET AL. ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TOTHE COURT OF APPEAL OF CALIFORNTA, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT, DIVISION THREE BRIEF FOR THE UNTRPED STATES AS AMICUS CURTIAE SUPPORTING PETEPIONERS NEAL KUMAR KATYAIL. ROBERT QO RIVKIN Acting Solicitor (reneral (roneral Counsel Counsel of Record ; TONY WEST PAUL M. Grikk - si west . : é Assistant General Connsel Assintant Aterney iremenies for Litigation MbWIN S. KNERDLER Peven d. Phocks Deputy Solicitor General Deputy Assistant General WiLLIAM M. JAY Counsel for Litigation Assistant ta the Solicitor Department of General Tran sportal ton . . DOUGLAS N. LETTER Washington, ILC. 20590 HELEN L. GILBERT O. KEVIN VINCENT Aftorueys Chief Counsel Department of Justice LLoypsS. GUERCI Washington, DC 20580-0001 Assistant Chief Counsel SupremeCtB riefs(@misdo). gov Ne oe Se ‘ (202) 514-2217 PiMaorHiy H. GOODMAN Senior Trial Attorney Natroual Highway Traffic Safety Administration Washington, D.C. 20590 ‘JOD YY QUESTION PRESENTED Pursuant to the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, now codified at 49 U.S.C. 30101 ef seqg., the National Highway Traffie Safety Administra- tion has promulgated Iederal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (EEeMVSS) 208, 49 C.FLR. 571.208, which ad- dresses crash protection. In 1998, that provision re quired automobiles to have a ‘Type 1 (ap) or ‘Type 2 (lap/shoulder) seatbelt in rear non-outhoard seating po- sitions. The question presented is: Whether FMVSS 208 preempts a state common-law tort claim that an automobile manufactured in 1993 was defectively designed because it lacked a Type 2 (ap/ shoulder) seatbelt ina rear non-outboard seating: posi- tion. (T) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 iapre IE Cte SID SUED se 5 bee sca svevawevaesceus l ROR te 2 se ee eee ye eI Se eee re a ee 2 ee . cnnn ue kanye eee tb aaeeerekewe S NS oak ie op ESS 44s as SERS aE RAS a eA peiess wens ‘ A. Under the Safety Aet, a common-law tort action is saved from preemption unless it actually con Nicts with a federal standard ..................... 10 Li. Astate-law requirement ordinarily is not. pre- ecmpted merely because it exceeds a federal mini- I S) ONES TS A ame Wear ee frevghtliner Corp. v. Myrick, 514 US. 280 (1995) oo... 30) Greier vy, American Honda Motor.Co ,o20 US. 86 PECK RR CES SC eeSN SRC cee ee Se heeeueaseiees passim Griffith v. General Motors, Corp., 808 Bid 1276 (iith Cir. 2002), cert. denied, 538 US. L025 (2008) 22. 21 Hines v. Davidowittz, 312 U.S. 62 (1941) ......0.....0.... Ll Hurley v. Motor Coach Indus., Tine. 222 Vd 377 (7th Cir. 2000), cert. denied, 8b US. 1148 I cp w ci owls ace bese oS CLERER SERNA OO0be EON ET 21, 24 Machinists vo Wisconsin Banployment Relations Ce A Ge Stes EE CU PUED oo vs vcs ecuweeb beeeween 1%) Rice v. Santa Fe Blevator Corp, 331 US. 218 A047)... 11 Roland v. General Motors Corp., 88i N.B.2d 722 (nd. Ct. App), transter denied, 898 Nobe2d 1218 (ind, EN srg RPh nk kd cbd bees ke eRe Kee e eae 7 Sprichona sv. Mercury Marine, 537 US. 51 Sc eer eek eae es we 60 ad OR OK601 4 EEC RES 10), 233, 20 Wood v. General Motors Corp, 494 US. L065 C1990) 2... 30 Wyeth v. Levime, 1298. Ct. 1187 (2009) 2... 11,12, 20, 30 V Statutes, revulations and rule: Page Anton's Law § a, 49 U.S.C. 30127 mote ................. 4 hederal Boat Safety Act of 1971, 46 U.S.C. 45020001) 2. 25 National ‘Praffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Aet of Oe he ee OP eee rears l Op ea: OUR 6 a5 5k CaaS Relea naewen 2 SURO ME ook ick cle 2,8, 10,15 ar, os ak i ag ors oe ate ae 2 Se Cs OE 7 bead ws beds cee ee eee’ 2,3, 10 ke ee ere ee reer ry ct 2,% A I st as i A ena Se oe 2 49 C.F R.: NNN ee hrc god elle-wis wiv Siu ancece boo be ama ee Z a en a as he 4 POI Br eR ho hoc 6 pence ewee US avasceader 1s PNUD 25 406 chive ews ese eer ieekna passim PO ID IID sca kes beeen a voce kobe we Wea eaue o SRI CEE PE RAMEE) occ csv nnccveseccnccees 4 PURSE CPO UTED hon 56 kk vee eeeedsneaonvives 4 ee ee Peer erererecre ere errr 4 SUI re NOE CED 0.6 606 n nec cb vcee¥eerduwsnes 4 ection i971 DOIS7.1.1.3) CAO) . we cece ee 27 POPRRE SUe Es nix eke wd veeessteabacckeeacue 3 og a Se rrr ee eee ee ee ee 21 Miscellaneous: 42 bed. Rep. 967») pp. 2408-242 | 2 eon es oe Se ee ee ek we ow ee ee oe ef he we on ae ie oe ok oe ee ow ke MIN oon swe VEN Gakeeae pies on etn ae eis 3,14 Vi Miscellaneous — Continued: Page AY Fed, Reg. (1084): etc Do 4s ca ah Raed de on eee wteN lf, 27 i) Es os orks eens aaa tae Sadana 14, 15, 25 ty ee res ood 5a Calatig ns Sa de eld seen ( RE ee ee ONO OS be ea ese Oe oe hee Ree ls i rE Git , wel 3 49 U.S.C. 50108 provides in pertinent part: Relationship to other laws (fe) COMMON LAW LIABILIPY. -Comphance with a motor vehicle safety standard preseribed under this Chapter does not exempt a person from lability at com mon baw. 4. AU SACL S011) provides in pertinent part: Standards (a) GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.—‘The Secretary of Transportation shall prescribe imetor vehicle safety standards. Mach standard shall be practicable, meet the need for motor vehicle safety, and be stated in obyective terms. (bh) CONSIDERATIONS AND CONSULTATION. When preseribing a motor vehicle safety standard under this chapter, the Secretary shall (1) consider relevant available motor vehicle sate ty information; (2) consult with the agency established under the Act of Aupust 20, 1998 (Public Law 85-684, 72 Stat. 635), and other appropriate State or interstate au- therities Gncluding legislative committees); (3) consider whether a proposed standard is rea- sonable, practicable, and appropriate for the particu lar type of motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment for which it is prescribed; and (4) consider the extent to which the standard will carry out section SOLOL of this title. & 49 COC PAR 571.8 (1990) provided in pertinent part: Definitions (by) Other definitions. As used in this chapter ” t ! 4 Outboard designated seating position means a desiv nated seating position where a lonpitudinal vertical plane tangent to the outboard side of the seat cushion is less than 12 inehes from the innermost point on the in- side surface of the vehicle at a height between the seat- nye reference point and the shoulder reference point Cas shown in fig. }oof Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan dard No. 210) and longitudinally between the front and rear edges of the seat cushion. . 2 2 Be 6. 40 CPR. S7L20S provides in pertinent part: Standard No. 208; Occupant crash protection. Sl. Scope. This standard specifies performance re- quirements for the protection of vehiele occupants in crashes. S2. Purpose. The purpose of this standard is to re- duce the number of deaths of velicle oecupants, and the Aa severity of inguries, by specifying vehicle crashworthi hess requirements im terms of forces and accelerations measured on anthropomorphic dummics in test crashes, and by specifying: cquipment requirements for active and passive restraint systems. + "i ; t S414. General requirements. Ss. b.4.2. wa (bd) fe xcept as provided in S4.1.4.2.1 and S4.1.4.2.2, each passenper car, other than a convertible, manutac tured on or after September 1, 1990 and each convert- ible passenger car manufactured on or after September 1, 1991 shall be equipped with an integral Pype 2 seat bell assembly at every forward-facings rear onthoara desiynated seating position. Pype 2 seat belt assemblies installed in Compliance with this requirement shall com- ply with Standard No. 209 (49 CER 571.209) and with S7. band S7.2 of this standard. (co) As used in this section, “rear outboard desi nated seating position” means any “outboard desipnated seating® position” (as that term is defined at 4o CER 571.3) Chat is rearward of the front seats), except any designated seating position adjacent to a walkway that is located between the seat and the near side of the vetu- cle and is designed to allow access to more rearward seatings positions. t 4 S4.2.4. Rear outboard seating positions wn tracks and multipurpose passenger vehicles manufactured on or after September 1, 1991 wnth a GVWR of 10,000 ul pounds or less. Exeept as provided in S4.2.4.2 and $4.2.4.4, each truck and each multipurpose passenger vehicle, other than a motor home, manufactured on or after September 1, 199] that has a gross vehicle weight rating: Of 10,000 pounds or less shall be equipped with an integral Type 2 seat belt assembly at every for- ward facing rear outboard designated seating position, Type 2 seat belt assemblies installed in complranee with this requirement shall comply with Standard No. 200 (49 Chk 571.209) and with S7.) and S7.2 of this standard. If a ‘Type 2 seat belt assembly installed in complance with this requirement incorporates any webbing tension. re- heving device, the vehicle owner’s manual shall include the information specified in 37.4.2 bh) of this standard for the tension reheving device, and the vehicle shall comply With S7.4.206¢) of this standard, S4.2.4.1. As used in this seetion— + +4 - + (b) Rear outboard designated seating position means any “outboard designated seating: postition” Gas that term is defined at 49 CER 571.3) that is rearward of the front seat(s), except any designated seating: posi- tions adjacent to a walkway located between the ‘seat and the side of the vehicle, which walkway is designed to allow access Lo more rearward seating: positions. 4 * 4 x Bye 6. 49 C.F RO 571.209 provides in pertinent part: Standard No. 20%: Seat belt assemblies. S3. Definitions. * * * t + » * 2 Type tl seat belt assembly is a lap belt for pelvic re- straint. Type x seat belt assembly is a comtination of pelvic and upper torse restraints ‘ ‘ > * * --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/brief%3Amicro_IA43085015_0472%3A11. Public record. Not legal advice.