Domingue v. Ford Motor Company

Summary

The court answered three certified questions concerning Georgia’s seatbelt statute in a products-liability action involving an allegedly defective vehicle restraint system. The statute does not bar evidence that seatbelts existed in the vehicle or evidence concerning seatbelt design and federal safety compliance, although such evidence remains subject to ordinary evidentiary rules. The statute does bar consideration of an occupant’s failure to wear a seatbelt for purposes of negligence, causation, liability, or reducing damages, including when offered as part of a manufacturer’s defense; the court declined to resolve constitutional challenges to that application.