Product liability or malpractice? My apartment owner engaged in a re-plumb construction* with a plumbing service* corporation in
December 2002. The plumbing company made a mistake and connected the hot water pipe and cold
water pipe wrongly (cross-connected) and now I am exposed to scalding* water whenever I turn on the
faucet*. If I am injured by this faucet defect, is the plumbing company responsible for "product
liability" or "malpractice"? The owner has no desire to negotiate with the constructor since he thinks I
should put up* with the situation. (re-plumb construction – замена водосточных тpyб; plumbing
service – служба по ремонту сантехники; scalding - обжигающий; faucet – водопроводный кран; to
put up with – мириться с ч-л.)
Slip and fall/Premises liability A close friend of mine needed a place to stay for a few days. My husband and I offered her to stay with
us. We currently rent from a private homeowner. No signed lease exists, everything was done on a
handshake. My friend asked to use our shower and, of course, we agreed. My husband mentioned for
her to be careful, as it could get slippery because of no rubber mats in the shower. She slipped and fell,
claiming she could not move her arm. I took her to the Emergency Room where they did x-rays, and
advised her that it was not broken, just dislocated. They relocated it, then put her in a sling. 5 days later,
she follows up with a surgeon. Afterwards, she calls me to say that according to the surgeon, her arm
was fractured and there might be some permanent damage, which will lead to future surgery. She then
proceeds to tell me that she is considering filing an injury claim against our landlord and/or his
insurance company. How will this affect us as tenants, and are we held responsible for having no mats
in the shower?
Paintball guns I was with a group of people who had been drinking. They decided to go out and shoot their paintball
guns inside city limits at signs and buildings and other things. I was sober so I decided to drive them
instead of letting them drive. At one point they fired their guns at a vehicle and there were people
standing around. The cops showed up and charged the shooter with vandalism and assault. They also
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charged me with the same charges because I was driving. What should I do?