Defendants in a Product Liability Lawsuit

Consumers believe that the products they purchase are safe and without defects. This belief is not just rooted on consumers’ knowledge of the legal responsibility of manufacturers, which is to ensure that their products are never sources of harm, injury or illness, but also on the standard of quality (which is a major basis of a company’s reputation) that they themselves have implemented and observe.

Sadly, however, the laws, the quality assurance, company reputation, and the watchful eyes of government authorities and company managers, seem not enough or not totally effective as flawed or defective products continue to find their way in stores and be made available to billions of consumers. As a result, every year, thousands of product liability claims, also known as tort lawsuits, against manufacturers of harmful products are filed by consumers due to the injury they sustain from the use of these products.

With millions of defective, harmful products available in the market, the list is close to endless. However, to name a of things on this list, there are nursery items, children’s toys, electronic gadgets, tools, furniture, and household appliances, office equipment, jewelry and clothes. These products, by the way, include only those items that fall under the control of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Other products are specifically categorized and assigned by the government as falling under the jurisdiction of specific agencies, like:

• The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates food, medical devices, drugs and cosmetics;
• The Federal Aviation Administration, which has charge over aircrafts;
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which manages automobile-related products; and,
• Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which regulates alcohol, tobacco & tobacco products

In the website of the Goings Law Firm, LLC, it is said that “the impact that a dangerous or defective product can have on a person’s life can be devastating. However, a product liability claim can help alleviate some of the challenges that victims may face.

Some of the most common types of product liability claims that people pursue include:

• Pharmaceuticals
• Defective household appliances
• Toxic Food Products and Containers
• Dangerous Childcare Products and Toys
• Defective Vehicles
• Manufacturing Defects
• Design Defects
• Defective Implants, such as defective hips or knees

As further explained by Williams Kherkher, when a product injures anyone, especially a child, all those involved in the chain of distribution, including the manufacturer, the distributor and the retailer, can be named as defendants in a civil or tort lawsuit. But while proving that an injury exists may be easy, establishing that such injury was caused by a defective product can be challenging. It will probably be advantageous to a victim if he/she would be represented by a highly-skilled personal injury lawyer from the start to the end of his/her legal pursuit.