Last week, in Williamson v. Mazda Motors of America,the United States Supreme Court reversed a California appeals court decision and allowed a California personal injury motor vehicle lawsuit to proceed. The lawsuit was grounded in allegations that the defendant failed to install lap and shoulder seatbelts in the rear seats of the vehicle in which the plaintiff was riding. It was alleged in the lawsuit the plaintiff was riding in the rear seat of a Mazda vehicle and that the lack of shoulder and lap seat belts caused the plaintiff’s death following a car accident.

As explained in this New York Times article, the court disagreed with the defendant’s assertion that a federal regulation preempted the lawsuit...

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