In the disposition of a question of law certified to the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 38, it is held that the phrase "local law" in 1 V.I.C. § 4 encompasses judicial precedents from this Court and that § 4 does not preclude it, as the highest local court in the Virgin Islands, from declining to follow the latest approved Restatement on a subject. On the merits of the question as formulated, it is held that Virgin Islands local courts should apply §§ 1 and 20 of the Restatement (Third) of Torts, and that a plaintiff may pursue a strict liability claim against a lessor for injuries resulting from a defective product.
Supreme Court Of The Virgin Islands