Los Angeles Product Liability Attorney
Los Angeles Dangerous Product Lawyer
We all expect the products we buy to be safe for their intended uses. Prescription drugs, medical devices, seat belts and children's toys are supposed to help us, keep us safe or make our lives more pleasant. When a poorly designed or otherwise defective product causes personal injury, the consequences can be devastating.
Stories in the Los Angeles newspapers and on the evening news reveal that many products we think are safe turn out to be dangerous to consumers. When a defective product does cause injury, the victim has recourse through a product liability lawsuit.
Under products liability law, manufacturers are liable for injuries caused by their defective products. If you are injured by a defective product, you should promptly seek the advice of an attorney experienced in handling products liability cases in Los Angeles.
Products Liability Lawsuits in Los Angeles
Someone injured by a defective product in Los Angeles can file a products liability lawsuit against the product's manufacturer. Los Angeles product liability lawyers often base these lawsuits on the legal theory of negligence.
A manufacturer is considered to be negligent when it fails to use reasonable care and thereby causes injury to the user of its product. A products liability claim for negligence would assert that the manufacturer was careless in how it designed, manufactured or tested the product.
In addition to negligence, products liability claims are sometimes brought under two more specialized legal theories.
One of these is "breach of warranty." A warranty is a promise that the product will perform in a certain way or is fit for a particular purpose. A warranty can be:
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Express. This is a clear promise, either in writing or spoken, regarding the use or durability of the product.
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Implied. This presumes that a product sold to consumers is generally safe and is fit for the particular purpose for which it is sold.
A defective product is one that failed either an express or an implied warranty. If the defect causes personal injury, the victim can bring a products liability lawsuit against the manufacturer for breach of warranty.
The other type of product liability lawsuit is based on a legal theory of "strict liability." Under this theory, a manufacturer is strictly responsible for selling a dangerous product even when it was not negligent in designing or producing the product.
Under California products liability law, someone injured by a defective product can win a strict liability lawsuit by proving:
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There was a defective product.
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The product came from the manufacturer in a defective condition.
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The consumer was injured by the product's defect.
Damages in Products Liability Cases in Los Angeles
In a products liability lawsuit, the Los Angeles products liability attorney may use all applicable legal theories. This legal strategy may increase the victim's likelihood of recovering full monetary damages.
The damages a victim can recover in a product liability lawsuit depend on the nature and extent of the victim's injuries. Generally in courts in Los Angeles, an award of damages will compensate the victim for:
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Medical costs.
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Lost wages.
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Pain and suffering.
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Property damage caused by the defective product.
In some cases, courts also award punitive damages. These damages are designed to punish a manufacturer for extreme conduct and to deter other companies from doing anything similar. This would require proof that the manufacturer deliberately sold a dangerous product or disregarded evidence that the product might be dangerous.
Injury from a Consumer Product in Los Angeles
When someone in Los Angeles is injured by a defective product, the person should promptly seek the advice of a lawyer who handles product liability cases in Los Angeles. The sooner the victim retains an experienced product liability lawyer, the sooner the lawyer can begin investigating the case and securing the victim's legal rights.
Even before calling a lawyer, the victim should take immediate steps to preserve evidence. Save the defective product and put it in a protected place. Also save any receipts, packaging, warranties and other literature that came with the product.
The attorneys at The Reeves Law Group have the experience of thousands of personal injury claims behind them, including numerous products liability cases. The firm has the depth of experience and resources to see every products liability case through to the best outcome for the client. For a free consultation about your product liability claim, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or e-mail us.
We have multiple convenient locations serving all of Los Angeles County. The Central Los Angeles office covers Downtown, Mid-Wilshire, Chinatown, Koreatown, Vernon, East Los Angeles, Inglewood, Huntington Park, Bell, South Gate, Florence, Watts, Lynwood, Downey, Montebello, Pico Rivera and Whittier. The Westside Los Angeles office covers Century City, Santa Monica, Westwood, Brentwood, Bel Air, Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Hancock Park, Baldwin Hills, Culver City and West Hollywood. The South Bay office covers Torrance, Redondo Beach, Carson, Rancho Palos Verdes, Lomita, Rolling Hills Estates, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Lawndale, El Segundo, Gardena and Hawthorne.