When we hear about defective products on the news, we often hear about toys posing choking hazards or a car airbag being activated at an inopportune time.
In some of these products liability cases, the manufacturer may have failed to properly test their product before putting it out on the market. In other cases, marketers, retailers, suppliers or distributors failed to do their own job to warn consumers of the potential dangers the product posed. When someone is either injured of killed as a result of this oversight, any one of these parties may be accused of negligence.
During the past 25 years, there have been many memorable products liability cases. One of the more notable ones was a 2002 lawsuit filed against the tobacco company Phillip Morris.
With that case, a then 68-year-old California woman had been diagnosed with lung cancer. She sued the company for what she conceded was their failure to warn her and others of the ill effects that could result from smoking cigarettes. The woman argued that they purposefully concealed product risks. A jury later awarded her nearly $28.1 billion in both compensentory and punitive damages.
In 2010, the car manufacturer Toyota was forced to recall at least 7.5 million of its cars after several individuals died in car crashes when their accelerators became stuck while driving. That flaw led to them accelerating at undesired intervals.
Those hurt or injured by the design flaw ultimately collected $1.1 billion in damages. They also were instrumental in getting Toyota to equip its affected models with a brake-override system.
Another well-publicized products liability case in the past few years involves the silicone-based products manufacturer, Dow Corning. One woman, who'd received breast implants manufactured by them, experienced a decline in health after one of them ruptured.
She ultimately received a combined $1.4 million in both compensatory and punitive damages. Her lawsuit led Dow Corning and other silicone implant manufacturers to [publicly acknowledge the dangers associated with implants rupturing.
If you've been suffered significant injuries after using a defective product, then a Nashville design and manufacturing defects attorney may recommend for you to file a products liability lawsuit in your case.
Source: Make Money in Life, "Famous cases of product liability," James W, accessed Dec. 08, 2017