Product Liability

This is FindLaw’s collection of Product Liability articles, part of the Litigation and Disputes section of the Corporate Counsel Center. Product liability laws are based on the the premise that companies generally have a duty to protect consumers from potential hazards. Courts have held that manufacturers generally have more insight and knowledge about their products, so it falls to them to assume financial responsibility for any injuries or damage they cause. Law articles in this archive are predominantly written by lawyers for a professional audience seeking business solutions to legal issues. Start your free research with FindLaw.

Civil Litigation

Product Liability Articles

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

On October 1, 1988, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (the Program), Subtitle 2 of Title XXI of the Public Health Service Act (the Act), became effective. The Program is a federal "no-fault" system designed to compensate those ...
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The Dangers of Me-Tooism

A UK court ruling highlights the perils of imitating the competitionCases on the subject of "package design law" are few and far between, which makes the recent chocolate bar case from England all the more interesting. There was good-humoured ...
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The Duty to Warn Illiterate and Non-English-Reading Product Users

The duty to warn and instruct is a significant duty both in the United States and in countries within the European Union. Under U.S. product liability law and the new EU Directives, significant liability can result if a manufacturer or product ...
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Telephone Company Held Liable for Failure to Provide Reliable, Timely Information About Location of Underground Lines

Plote, Inc. contracted with the Illinois Department of Transportation to make improvements to a road. Before the project and at utility meetings during the project, Illinois Bell Telephone Co. was asked to provide information about the location of ...
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Telemarketing Travel Fraud

Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I am here at the request of the Committee to present the testimony of the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC" or "Commission") (1) on two subjects related to the global tobacco settlement. First, I will ...
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Proposition 65 Plaintiffs Attacking Meat Industry Being Met With Preemption Argument

Last year, the California Supreme Court issued its decision in Dowhal v. SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare, holding that when a Proposition 65 warning directly conflicts with requirements under federal law, the federal requirement prevails ...
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Product Liability In The 1990’s: Is Silicon Valley Ready For The Next Legal Battlefield?

Silicon Valley electronics manufacturers may soon join the ranks of companies facing mass product liability claims for what have come to be known as repetitive stress injuries (RSI) purportedly caused by routine workplace use of their products ...
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Performance Warranties in Computer Contracts

Warranty clauses are one of the most frequently negotiated provisions in agreements for the purchase or license of computer hardware and software. The reason for this is clear: computer litigation is on the increase. A review of published decisions ...
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New York Court Adopts “Product Line” Exception to Successor Corporate Liability

A recent decision by a New York State court has expanded the potential liability of successor corporations under New York law by adopting the "product line" exception to the doctrine of successor corporate liability. In Hart v. Bruno Machinery ...
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Sports Utility Vehicles: Dangerous Propensities In An Emergency: 4×4 Rollovers

Sports utilities vehicles have a high center of gravity and are the most unstable vehicles on the road. Although designed to be driven off the road and roll, very few have rollbars. And to make matters worse, few meet the National Highway Traffic ...
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