DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS
DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is responsible for reviewing the safety of retail products in the United States. The CPSC determines if products are safe using a battery of tests for toxicity, durability, flammability and other dangers. The organization also posts recalls about dangerous consumer products. However, due to the sheer volume of worldwide manufacturing and the global import/export market, many products go untested and unnoticed by the CPSC defect and recall divisions, increasing the risk for the distribution of potentially defective products.
Defective products can cause a number of serious injuries, including burns, broken bones, lacerations, disfigurement and even death. Although the CPSC works diligently to safeguard consumers, the ultimate responsibility for product safety lies with manufacturers.
A company that produces defective products can be sued for negligence. Negligence can occur at any one of three manufacturing stages: design, construction or marketing. If a product is designed incorrectly (such as a chair with only two legs instead of four), it can cause harm to its users. If a product is constructed or assembled incorrectly (the seat of the chair is not bolted down correctly), it can also be deemed defective. Finally, if the chair with two legs is marketed as safe but turns out to be causing injury to consumers, it can also be deemed defective.
Increases in Recoverable Limits
As of March 2010, the CPSC approved a vast increase in the penalty amounts that can be sought for defective products cases in the United States. In general, these limits increased from $8,000 to $100,000 for first-time offenses and from $1.8 million to $15 million for repeat offenders.
The law limits the amount of time consumers have to file defective products claims. In the State of Texas, the statute of limitations is 2 years in most cases. Call a Dallas defective products lawyer at The Goolsby Law Firm today at 972-394-2141 or on if you’ve been injured by a defective product in the Dallas area. We work on a contingent fee basis, which means we don’t get paid unless you recover damages for your loss.
