Product Liability Cases
If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product in California, you should consult with an experienced California personal injury lawyer who has experience handling cases involving defective products. You may be entitled to recover substantial compensation.
Generally, a person who suffers an injury stemming from a defective or harmful product can file a product liability lawsuit to recover compensation for their injuries and losses. This lawsuit can be filed against any entity within the product’s distribution chain – i.e. the product’s designer, manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor, retailer, etc.
A great many of the class action lawsuits you hear about in the news today result from injuries caused by defective products. Many different cases fall into this category.
Some of the more common types of product liability cases involve injuries caused by the following situations:
- Negligence on the part of the vendor, retailer, etc.
- Machines that break during use;
- Failure to include warnings and/or safety features on a product which could have prevented injuries;
- Inadequately tested or dangerous medications;
- Defective auto parts
Examples of Product Liability Cases
Here are a few examples of notable product liability cases from the past that are still relevant today:
The Vioxx Case
(Inadequately Tested or Dangerous Medication)
In 1999, the pharmaceutical giant Merck began selling Vioxx, a painkilling and arthritis treatment drug. At about the same time, the company began a study of patients taking Vioxx to determine if it was more effective than other similar drugs on the market. Instead, the study showed that patients taking Vioxx had a higher rate of heart attacks and strokes compared to those taking other similar drugs.
Millions of people had taken Vioxx by the time Merck stopped selling the drug in 2004. Families who had lost loved ones due to heart attacks or strokes caused by Vioxx sued Merck for its delay in taking the drug off the market. Merck eventually agreed to pay $4.8 billion into an uncapped settlement fund to resolve these lawsuits.
GM’s Faulty Ignition Switches
(Defective Auto Parts)
General Motors (GM) manufactured several models of cars with defective ignition switches. These defective ignition switches could potentially turn the vehicle’s engine off while it is being operated, disabling the brakes, power steering, and airbags.
GM ultimately admitted that the defective ignition switches were the cause of at least 31 motor vehicle accidents and 13 deaths, and agreed to create a $400 million settlement fund to compensate consumers for injuries and deaths caused by the defective ignition switches. Several lawsuits against GM are still pending, including two class-action lawsuits.
Here are some more types of product cases:
- Defective O-Ring caused severe burns.
- Defective Booster Seat or defective Car Seat.
- Defective Tire that caused tire tread separation.
- Defective Gas Dryer.
- Defective Water Cooler that caused hot water burn.
- Defective products containing long Cords that asphyxiate children.
- Defective Bicycle parts breaking while riding.
- Defective Seat of a motor vehicle.
- Defective Implant.
- Defective Medication.
- Defective Electric Blanket.
- Defective Appliances.
- Defective Microwave oven door.
- Defective Pool Gate.
- Defective Toys.
- Defective Smoke Alarms.
Contact an Experienced California Product Liability Attorney for More Information
Those in a product’s chain of distribution have a legal duty to ensure that the product they manufacture and distribute is safe for consumers to use. When they don’t, and you are injured as a result, you may be entitled to recover the cost of your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and more.
If you or a loved one has been injured in California, by a product that you believe is defective or unreasonably dangerous, contact an experienced California product liability attorney to find out if you are entitled to recover compensation.
Christopher Montes de Oca is an experienced personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles. Chris is recognized as a “Super Lawyer Rising Star,” a recognition that only 2.5 percent of lawyers receive, because of the exceptional results he has seen and his dedication to his clients. Chris services clients throughout Los Angeles, including Echo Park, Maywood, Long Beach, Whittier, Glendale, La Mirada, Pico Rivera, Hacienda Heights, and Alhambra. Call him today for a free consultation at (562) 901-4664.