Just about everyone is familiar with product recalls. They may have purchased a car that had to be taken into the dealer for a repair or heard about a massive recall of a dangerous children’s toy. Some stores will have a billboard where all of their recalled products are listed. It’s entirely possible that someone could unknowingly own a recalled product.
The Slow Growth of Consumer Rights
Once, there was no such thing as consumer rights or defective product recalls. No one could sue the manufacturer of a defective product unless they had a contract with the manufacturer. It had taken many years and lawsuits before that legal precept was slowly eroded, one lawsuit at a time.
Today’s consumer does not need a contract with the manufacturer for every product that they buy. If a product cannot be safely used as intended and, as a result, someone is injured, then that consumer is entitled to be compensated for their injuries.
Product Recalls
While some manufacturers will discover a problem and voluntarily issue a recall, others do so after legal action, actual or potential. A recall of unsafe ice cream, for example, can cause serious damage to a company’s reputation and the perceived safety of its products. Product recalls are massively expensive in many cases.
* Ford once had to recall more than 6.5 million vehicles because they were sold with defective Firestone tires. There were many complaints, with 240 injured people and 90 deaths.
* Toyota ultimately recalled more than 10 million vehicles which had numerous problems.
* Merck had to recall Vioxx, an arthritis medication which increased the chance that someone would have a heart attack. Lawsuits and settlements over Vioxx cost Merck $4.85 billion.
Would these companies have recalled these products and settled with consumers without legal action? Ask a Personal Injury Attorney in Terre Haute IN.
Class Action Lawsuits
Product liability cases may proceed as class action lawsuits. This makes it unnecessary for everyone injured by the product to file a separate lawsuit. In a class action, everyone in the “class” must have been injured by the same actions of the defendant and agree to abide by the resolution of the case.
The attorneys at McGlone Law are the accident and injury professionals in Indiana and Illinois. If you’ve been injured by a defective product, contact this experienced Personal Injury Attorney in Terre Haute IN. To learn more and request a free consultation, visit the website.
