When you purchase an appliance, a toy, a motor vehicle or any other consumer product, you expect that the manufacturers have taken reasonable care to ensure that the design and construction of the product are done in such a way that there’s not an unreasonable risk of injury when you use the product as intended. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily the case. There are many dangerous and defective products readily available to consumers. If you or someone you love has been hurt after using a consumer product, here are the potential avenues for legal recovery.
Defective Design
A lawsuit alleging defective design of a product asserts that manufacturers and marketers failed to act reasonably when designing the product. Under this theory, the product is considered inherently unsafe, regardless of the care with which it was manufactured or assembled. In legal action based on defective design, you must show that a reasonable person would have recognized the defect and would have either fixed the problem or reasonably notified potential users of the risk of injury. For example, if you design a vehicle with a high center of gravity, making it susceptible to rollovers, you must either warn of the risk or redesign the vehicle to minimize the risk.
Defective Manufacture
A product may be considered defectively manufactured under a number of circumstances:
- Substandard materials were used in the construction of the product
- The product was carelessly or negligently assembled or fabricated
- The manufacturer did not properly supervise the employees who were assembling or building the product
For example, if an appliance manufacturer knowingly uses substandard materials or fails to put procedures in place to ensure that products are correctly assembled, there may be liability.
Negligent Marketing
An allegation of negligent marketing essentially says that the manufacturer or marketer did not adequately warn potential users of known risks of injury. For example, the manufacturer of a coffee maker may have liability if the company knew that the product produced water hot enough to cause serious burns.
Contact the Law Offices of David J. Karbasian, PC
Don’t risk the loss of evidence or the disappearance of a witness. The sooner you retain legal counsel, the better! Send us an e-mail today or call us at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment. We handle all mortgage foreclosure scam claims on a contingent fee basis. We won’t charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your losses.
Evening and weekend meetings can be arranged upon request. We’ll come to your home or the hospital to meet with you, if necessary.
