Boynton Beach Product Liability Lawyers
Helping Consumers Seek Compensation for Their Injuries
When drivers or property owners are negligent, two or three people often get hurt. When companies recklessly sell defective or dangerous products, thousands of people often get hurt. As a result, a negligence standard is not high enough to adequately protect consumers. So, companies that place profits before people are typically strictly liable for the injuries their defective products cause.
Theoretical liability is rather straightforward in product liability claims. To establish practical liability, victims need a tough attorney from Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather . Manufacturers have a small army of professionals who will do whatever it takes to reduce or deny compensation in these cases.
Our Boynton Beach product liability lawyers level the playing field by collecting evidence on your behalf, framing that evidence in a compelling way, and then standing up for you in court. Call 561-500-HELP today to get started.
Types of Product Defects
In general, manufacturers always want to sell as much product as possible, in order to make as much money as possible. So, they often take shortcuts during the process.
Some of these shortcuts include:
- Design Defect: TV commercials claim that certain products are designed to make peoples lives better. But thats usually not true. These products are designed to make money. As a result, safety usually comes second. In these claims, some jurisdictions require victims to show that a safer alternative design was reasonably available.
- Manufacturing Defect: Some shortcuts occur once the manufacturing process begins. Frequently, instead of using quality parts and ingredients, manufacturers use cheap substitutes which makes the product unsafe. Manufacturers are also responsible for any defects which occur during the shipping process.
These defects essentially violate the implied warranty of merchantability that all new products have.
Procedural Issues
Since defective product claims, like 3M earplug claims or dangerous drug claims, affect so many victims in so many areas, courts usually consolidate these cases, at least for pretrial purposes.
Class actions allow one or two plaintiffs to speak for voiceless thousands or millions who were hurt by a defective product or service. In a Multi-District Litigation case, like dangerous drug claims, the court only consolidates these cases for pretrial purposes. If the parties are unable to settle the dispute, these cases normally return to their home jurisdictions for trial.
Almost all claims settle out of court. Sometimes these settlements occur relatively early in the process. But defective product claims are different. Because so much money is at stake, and the company’s brand might be at stake as well, many companies fight these claims tooth and nail. Talcum powder/ovarian cancer claims are a good example. Johnson & Johnson lawyers almost always refuse to settle these matters.
These settlements usually include compensation for the victims medical bills, emotional distress, and other consequential losses. Additionally, jurors typically award substantial punitive damages in these matters. These additional damages, which are available if there is clear and convincing evidence of recklessness, punish these companies and deter future misconduct. A damages cap might apply in some cases.
Contact a Tough Boynton Beach Product Liability Attorney
Product manufacturers are typically strictly liable for damages. For a free consultation with an experienced lawyer, contact Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather . We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.
