The Toro Company to Face Revived Riding Lawnmower Defect Lawsuit

Lawnmower manufacturer The Toro Company will face a woman’s lawsuit alleging one of its riding lawnmowers lacked a mechanical brake that could have prevented an accident where she lost her leg, after a federal appeals court reinstated her claims Wednesday.

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit said the lower court failed to address one of plaintiff Rebekah Hillman’s experts who gave reliable and relevant opinions that raised factual disputes. The lower court excluded all of her expert evidence as unreliable or irrelevant, but didn’t “directly” address opinions from one of them, Judge David F. Hamilton said.

The ...