It essential to know when products have been recalled and are no longer safe for use. They could cause serious injury to you or your loved ones. “Product Liability Law” are the legal rules for who is deemed responsible for defective or dangerous products. Companies often get a protective order in order to protect their confidentiality when they have a claim against a defective product. Confidentiality protects the manufacturer’s reputation. However, in cases like product liability, protecting the confidentiality of these manufacturers may cause danger for the next consumers, causing the same harm as the previous consumers endured. California’s Assembly Bill 899 serves to alleviate that. Its purpose is to prevent lawsuits from being settled confidentiality when it’s about a defective product or environmental condition that poses danger to public health and safety. It’s essential to know the ins and outs of this bill as well as common product defects.
Types of Product Defects
The three main types of product defects are design, manufacturing, and inadequate warnings. Design defects are when the whole product line was designed in a way that may cause harm to the consumer. An example of this would be if a product line of toys had sharp edges causing children to get injured while using it. A manufacturing defect is when the manufacturing of a specific product, not the entire line, is flawed. For example, if you received a table with uneven legs, and it was only your table affected, then this is considered a manufacturing defect. The last form of a product defect is products with inadequate warnings. They are products that do not label or warn consumers of less-than-obvious risks that are posed by the use of their product. An example of this would be if christmas lights did not warn consumers of overheating if left on for long periods of time.
Goodyear Tires
California’s Assembly Bill 899 could have a huge impact on product liability law. One common example used for the argument for the bill is the situation with Goodyear tires. In terms of types of product defects, this was a design defect as it affected their whole line of tires. Between 1996 and 2003, their tires had failed when mounted on RVs. They were shown to have failed at high speeds. The tires were meant for use on delivery trucks, ones that ran at low stop-and-go speeds. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an examination in December 2017 after the court released the records. It was found that 1 death and 19 injuries were attributed to the tires. At least 41 lawsuits were filed against the company for these tires. The confidentiality allowed the company to hide this evidence for nearly 20 years. As a consumer, this bill could drastically change the legal environment. It may prevent many injuries and deaths from products.
When you buy a product you assume that it will work the way it should and it shouldn’t cause you injury. This isn’t always the case. Companies make mistakes or sometimes overlook defects in their product. It’s unfair. If you or your family has been injured by a defective product then you deserve justice and compensation. You need someone with a lot of experience in product liability law and can fight for your rights. The legal team at Compass Law Group, LLP will provide you with aggressive representation and personal attention to your needs.
