product liability lawsuits

An Example of Product Liability

Submitted by jrlaw on Jul 26th, 2011

When a product poses a genuine risk to consumers, it is—in the best of all situations—recalled from the market before anyone is hurt. In July of 2011, for instance, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled Adventure Playsets and Swingsets from the market. These products were made of wood that was found to weaken after use. Because they posed a very real fall hazard to the children using them, they were removed from the market and existing customers were asked to contact Adventure Playsets so that they can get a repair set that fixes the issue.

This is an example of how product liability law protects consumers, along with a government agency that enforced the manufacturer's obligation to their customers. In this example, only one child was claimed to have been injured by the product, but the issue is being addressed and there will hopefully be no more injuries that result from it.

What are Product Liability Lawsuits Filed Over?

Submitted by jrlaw on Jul 5th, 2011

Product liability lawsuits are filed over numerous different types of defects and the damage that they cause. Just to give you an idea of what people have sued over in the past, the list includes:

Defective cars
Defective electronic devices
Defective medications
Defective hardware
Defective toys

These lawsuits have some features in common that you need to understand. The products also met at least one of the following criteria:

It was designed defectively
It was manufactured defectively
It was advertised incorrectly

At least one of those three criteria has to be met about the defective product. The product also has to have cause real harm—physical or financial—in order for someone to sue over it. The damage has to be able to be quantified in terms of cash for someone to file a lawsuit, as well.

The Truth Behind Product Liability Claims

Submitted by jrlaw on Jan 27th, 2011

When people talk about healthcare, they often talk about how lawsuits increase the costs. If you made a list of dangerous drugs that were withdrawn from the market only after people started suing, it would be very long. Prescription drugs are just one of the products that are covered under product liability law. This law ensures that manufacturers cannot release something onto the market and claim its safe without being held responsible for that product.

Some of the most dangerous products on the market are tools. These products are simply dangerous when they’re used exactly as intended. There’s no such thing as a safe table saw, for instance. The manufacturers of these devices have to ensure, however, that the products they manufacture are labeled clearly as to their hazards and that they’re made as safe as possible. Product liability lawsuits sometimes involve products that are dangerous under normal circumstances, but which are also manufactured to poor standards that result in them being even more dangerous than need be the case.