Product Liability

Product liability is a legal concept that holds manufacturers, distributors, and sellers responsible for any harm caused by defective or unsafe products they produce or sell. It ensures that consumers can expect products to be safe for their intended use, and if a product is found to be dangerous, defective, or inadequately marketed, the responsible parties can be held legally accountable.

There are three main types of product defects that can give rise to product liability claims:

• Manufacturing defects: Flaws that occur during the production process, causing a product to deviate from its intended design and potentially become unsafe.
• Design defects: Inherent flaws in the product’s design that make it unsafe even if manufactured correctly.
• Marketing defects: Failures in providing adequate warnings, instructions, or labeling about the product’s risks or proper use.

Product liability claims typically involve proving that the product was defective when sold, that the defect caused injury, and that the defendant was a commercial seller of the product. This area of law is primarily civil and aims to compensate injured parties, including buyers, users, or bystanders, for damages resulting from defective products.

In summary, product liability is the legal responsibility of those in the product supply chain to ensure products are safe and to compensate consumers if defects cause harm.