YLD Releases 2016 Mock Trial Case - Articles

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YLD Releases 2016 Mock Trial Case

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Dec 30, 2015
The TBA YLD Mock Trial Committee has released the problem and rules for the 2016 Tennessee High School Mock Trial Competition. The list of district competition coordinators is also available. Local competitions will take place in February with the state competition set for March 18-19 in Nashville. Feel free to follow along at @tnmocktrial or sign up to receive updates by email.
 
This year’s case is a products liability lawsuit against Thorobern, a manufacturer of appliances for recreational vehicles. The suit is being brought by Ashton Stepinghuf, a semi professional rodeo junkie and walking horse aficionado who shows horses and rides bulls. In 2011, Stepinghuf purchased a top-of-the-line customized horse trailer that included a luxurious living room, bedroom, full bath and kitchen with a gas range and stove, refrigerator and microwave. In 2014, a fire (which was later determined to have begun near the refrigerator) damaged the trailer and an adjacent barn. While searching for information about Thorobern, Stepinghuf learned that several similar fires had occurred across the country – all tied to the company’s refrigerator. Stepinghuf hired an attorney and filed suit, alleging that the refrigerator was defective and spontaneously caught fire, and that Thorobern acted intentionally, maliciously, fraudulently and/or recklessly. Thorobern denied all liability, asserting that its product was not the cause of the fire, and arguing that Stepinghuf intentionally altered the cooling unit to cause a fire.