What Are the Largest Product Liability Cases in the U.S.?

What is Product Liability Law?

Product liability law includes the rules concerning who is responsible for defective or dangerous products. It is different from ordinary injury laws and holds a manufacturer or seller liable when they have put a defective product onto the shelves and into the hands of the consumer. Product liability laws are typically brought under negligence, strict liability, or breach of warranty. In the history of the U.S., there have been many large product liability cases known to the public eye.

Largest Product Liability Cases

General Motors: General Motors Company has been making the headlines since 2014 when it was discovered that several of its automobile models were manufactured with faulty ignition switches that would shut off driver’s engines while they were driving. This is linked to 13 deaths and 31 car accidents. One lawsuit filed against GM is seeking $10 billion in compensation.

Philip Morris: Philip Morris, the tobacco company, faced charges when a woman with lung cancer claimed that their cigarettes caused her sickness and that the company failed to warn of the dangers of smoking. She won a tremendous $28 billion in punitive damages and $850,000 in compensatory damages from her case.

Dow Corning: Dow Corning was sued and reached a settlement of $2 billion when customers started coming forth and claiming that their silicone breast implants were rupturing, which caused injury, bodily damage, and in some cases, death.

Owens Corning: Owens Corning was forced to pay $1.2 billion in settlement costs when a product liability case came forth claiming that asbestos building materials caused cancer and death in many cases. This case affected an extreme 176,000 individuals!

We are your product liability lawyers working for you when you need us the most. Product liability law can be entirely complex, which is why you should contact us immediately so we can help you get started on your case.