<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:verdana,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">Fred Ridder, Richard Combs, I was given this info last year by a corporate shark. Glad you guys are so up on the law. I have a tendency to believe the corporate sharks, when they tell me I can be held responsible for what I write.<br><br>I hereby apologize for any misinformation or misdirections I might have given.<br><br>Good enough?<br><div> </div><font style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" size="3">--<br><font size="3">Keith L. Smyth<br>President<br>Smyth Consulting<br></font></font><font style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" size="3"><font size="3"><span style="font-style:italic;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></font></font><em style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="margin:0pt 0pt
0pt 1em;font-size:14px;line-height:120%;"><span class="highlight2"><br></span></span></em><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Voting for someone because they are black is as racist<br>as voting against someone because they are black.</span><font style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" color="red" face="Times New Roman" size="4"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;"><font size="3"><br><br>Beware an intrusive government.<br><br><span style="color:rgb(255, 0, 0);"> GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES</span></font><br></span></font><font style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" size="3"><font size="3"><span style="font-style:italic;"></span><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></font></font><font style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" size="3"><span style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 1em;font-size:14px;line-height:120%;"><span class="highlight2"><em></em></span></span></font><span
style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><font style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" size="3"><font size="3"><span style="font-style:italic;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></font></font><br style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><font style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" size="3">Technical Documentation Consultant</font><br><div><br></div><div style="font-family:verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><br><div style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14pt"><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></b></font><br><br>Message: 19<br>Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:45:35 -0400<br>From: Fred Ridder <<a ymailto="mailto:docudoc@hotmail.com" href="mailto:docudoc@hotmail.com">docudoc@hotmail.com</a>><br>To: <<a ymailto="mailto:keith.smyth@att.net"
href="mailto:keith.smyth@att.net">keith.smyth@att.net</a>>, <<a ymailto="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com" href="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com">framers@lists.frameusers.com</a>><br>Subject: RE: best use of graphics in FM (was: framers Digest, Vol 77,<br> Issue 17)<br>Message-ID: <<a ymailto="mailto:SNT117-W11E57AE6A9BE82720B92CCBA410@phx.gbl" href="mailto:SNT117-W11E57AE6A9BE82720B92CCBA410@phx.gbl">SNT117-W11E57AE6A9BE82720B92CCBA410@phx.gbl</a>><br>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"<br><br><br>I'm afraid this is a misinterpretation on several levels.<br> <br>First of all, there is no such thing as "Tort's Third Law". Tort is not a person, and there is no single law or even a code of laws that define torts, since they are *civil* offences rather than criminal ones. What I have to assume you are referrint to is "Restatements of the Law Third, Torts: Products Liability", which is a publication of the
American Law Institute that assembles and codifies case law (decisions made by judges rather than black letter law that is established by legislative action). The third in this title refer to the third restatement (the restatements need to be revised and extended as new case law is established), not a third law. <br> <br>Second, it is not correct that "The emphasis of the Tort Law is consumer protection". Besides the fact that there is no "the Tort Law", the reality is that standard definitions of tort law indicate that it deals with situations where a person suffers unfair loss or harm as the result of another person's action(s). The vast majority of tort suits are between two individuals over common things like auto accidents, tresspass and property disputes, and defamation (libel and slander) and less common things like copyright infringement, none of which have anything to do with consumer protection. Only the products liability branch of tort law
really falls under the consumer protection heading, but it should also be noted that a very large number of consumer protection issues are actually matters of contract law rather than tort law. <br> <br>Third, the passage you quotes is not a law. It is, in fact, a clarifying subsection for the section of the Restatement Third that deals with "Liability of Commercial Seller or Distributor for Harm Caused by Defective Products". This section states that "One engaged in the business of selling or otherwise distributing products who sells or distributes a defective product is subject to liability for harm to persons or property caused by the defect". But it is important to note that this section only identifies the vendor as liable. <br><br>And I'll leave aside your gratuitous comments about unions and big business and ploiticians, which have no place on the FrameUsers list.<br> <br>-Fred Ridder<br>
<br><br><br>------------------------------<br><br>Message: 21<br>Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:47:33 -0700<br>From: "Combs, Richard" <<a ymailto="mailto:richard.combs@Polycom.com" href="mailto:richard.combs@Polycom.com">richard.combs@Polycom.com</a>><br>To: Keith Smyth <<a ymailto="mailto:keith.smyth@att.net" href="mailto:keith.smyth@att.net">keith.smyth@att.net</a>>, "<a ymailto="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com" href="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com">framers@lists.frameusers.com</a>"<br> <<a ymailto="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com" href="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com">framers@lists.frameusers.com</a>><br>Subject: RE: framers Digest, Vol 77, Issue 17<br>Message-ID:<br> <<a ymailto="mailto:C5D089C86687BC4DBBABE1CC5B3E45FC0173C5EE5E@CRPMBOXPRD01.polycom.com"
href="mailto:C5D089C86687BC4DBBABE1CC5B3E45FC0173C5EE5E@CRPMBOXPRD01.polycom.com">C5D089C86687BC4DBBABE1CC5B3E45FC0173C5EE5E@CRPMBOXPRD01.polycom.com</a>><br>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<br><br>I don't take legal advice - or political advice - from someone who talks about "Tort's Third Law" as if some fellow named Tort wrote it.<br><br>From: <a ymailto="mailto:framers-bounces@lists.frameusers.com" href="mailto:framers-bounces@lists.frameusers.com">framers-bounces@lists.frameusers.com</a> [mailto:<a ymailto="mailto:framers-bounces@lists.frameusers.com" href="mailto:framers-bounces@lists.frameusers.com">framers-bounces@lists.frameusers.com</a>] On Behalf Of Keith Smyth<br>Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 4:22 PM<br>To: <a ymailto="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com" href="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com">framers@lists.frameusers.com</a><br>Subject: Re: framers Digest, Vol 77, Issue 17<br><br>Ken, it might be a good idea to inform
you MANAGER of the Third Tort Law.<br><br>You need to protect yourself by getting written instructions on what to include, and not include in the document. I saw this happen to an individual I was working with. Fortunately, he had signed instructions from the Product Manager to not include some safety instructions, as it would "upset the customer". So when a customer got burned badly, the customer went after the company, the company went after the writer, and the writer offered up the program manager, who got fired, and sued. Yeah, CYA.<br><br>Tort's Third Law<br>It is a good idea to be versed in Tort Law, specifically Tort's Third Law. The emphasis of the Tort Law is consumer protection. Tort Law did for the consumer what the unions did for the worker. According to the Third Law, "A product is defective when, at the time of sale or distribution, it contains a manufacturing defect, is defective in design or is defective because of
INADEQUATE INSTRUCTIONS OR WARNINGS."<br><br>This is important to any of us in the technical writing domain, as it puts the onus on us to provide adequate (and standard) instructions, which includes warnings in the instructions (and on labels if that is a part of our job). Most writers are completely oblivious to their responsibility under the Tort Law and many companies are equally oblivious (or choose to ignore).<br>As such, they are also ignorant to the fact that they can be sued in a liability action, as a company and as individuals, for their failure to provide adequate instructions and warnings.<br><br>To make matters even more complicated, it's a double-edged sword for a writer. Business loves to hate the Tort Law and tends to kill the messenger. If you, as the writer, are doing a proper job, you are the messenger.<br><br>There are also very few places that teach you this stuff - even the university tech writing courses overlook
it.<br>If you muck around without knowing the standards and the law, you could get yourself and your clients sued.<br><br>BTW, The Big B (big business) is currently throwing a lot of money at our political types to try and weaken the Tort Law and relieve themselves of the burden of liability (recalling those bloody toys that kill or maim kids is such a blessed nuisance and just munches away at the bottom line).<br><br>In addition, any politicians who do not play ball will find themselves up against some pretty big bucks intent on running them out on a rail. The republicans in particular are fond of coming to the aid of Big B and can be counted on to slam dunk your protection under the current law.<br><br>--<br>Keith L. Smyth<br>President<br>Smyth Consulting<br>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>Voting for someone because they are black is as racist<br>as voting against someone because they
are black.<br><br>Beware an intrusive government.<br><br>GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES<br><br>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>Technical Documentation Consultant<br><br><br><br></div></div>
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