What does product liability mean?

Product liability is an area of law that holds manufacturers, distributors, and retailers responsible for injuries their products cause to the public. In California, the doctrine of “strict liability” applies in most automobile defect cases, which has greatly leveled the legal playing field for auto defect accident victims in our state and across the nation. Strict liability does not require proof of fault on behalf of the designer, manufacturer or seller. In a strict liability claim, the injured party need only show that:

1. the product was defective
2. the defect existed prior to the manufacturer releasing the product, and
3. the defect caused the victim’s damages.

The injured party may prove that a product is defective from any of three types of defects: design defects, manufacturing defects and “failure to warn” defects.