Defective Product Attorney in Los Angeles
Our Los Angeles Product Liability Lawyers Are Here to Help You
At MKP Law Group, LLP, our attorneys exclusively represent injury victims. For years we have fought on behalf of clients who have suffered from defective product injuries due to another party’s negligence. We realize that it can be difficult to afford quality and experienced product liability lawyers, so we always work on what is known as a contingency fee basis, meaning WE DON’T GET PAID UNLESS WE WIN.
There are no upfront, out-of-pocket costs to our clients. Our experienced product liability attorneys in Los Angeles have recovered millions on behalf of our clients. We will fight hard on your behalf to ensure you get maximum compensation for your injuries. We want to help you recover and manage the significant financial, physical, and emotional challenges that accompany these types of injuries. Our attorneys work with a team of specialized medical experts throughout Los Angeles and California to ensure that you or a loved one receives top-notch medical care for a speedy and healthy recovery while we deal with the insurance companies.
Our skilled team represents defective product victims throughout the State of California and is well-versed in defective product liability laws. MKP Law Group, LLP’s team strives to make the process as easy and quick as possible for you. The experienced team at MKP Law Group, LLP is attentive, dependable, and tenacious, so call us today at 310-285-5353 to schedule your 100% free consultation.
How to Know if I Need to Hire a Defective Product Attorney?
Unfortunately, it is common for large corporations to put profit over people. When companies rush products to market, they often overlook defects and fail to make the product fully safe and free of dangers.
Whether it’s an SUV that rolls over too easily, dangerous tires, or defective medical devices, dangerous products can cause catastrophic injuries or even death.
Moreover, many of the dangerous products that are the subject of defective product cases are everyday items used by millions of Americans every day.
Often, it takes product liability lawsuits filed by product liability lawyers to force the company to fix the dangerous product. However, the nature of the product malfunction or defect can be challenging to pinpoint and require technical or scientific experts to prove a case.
That is why it is crucial for product liability victims to hire an experienced product liability law firm to investigate the claim and represent victims’ interests fully. The right lawyer will not only have the experience and dedication to handle your case for you, but they will also have a team of experts who will uncover the facts and help you win your case.
Common Types of Product Defects
Any product can be potentially dangerous.
It may surprise you that the products you regularly use or have in your home might pose a threat. Here is a list of common products that often found defective:
- Motor vehicles (tires, airbags, seatbelts, etc.)
- Bicycles and tires (that maybe also cause bicycle accidents)
- Child Car Seats
- Medical Devices (hernia meshes, hip replacements, implants, etc.)
- Pharmaceutical Drugs
- Smoke Alarms
- Ladders
- Garage Door Openers
- Propane Tanks
- Consumer Products (children’s toys, appliances, lawn chemicals, etc.)
- Manufacturing Equipment (conveyor belts, forklifts, valves, etc.)
If you or a loved one is suffering from an injury due to a product listed above, or any other, our Los Angeles product liability lawyers can help.
Remember, whether the product is on the above list or not doesn’t matter. You deserve care and treatment for your injury.
Call us for a 100% consultation, so one of our expert defective product attorneys can advise you on whether you have a case and how to best proceed with your injury claim.
Has a Defective Product Injured you?
Many defective products are recalled every year for causing catastrophic injury or death. On any given day, there could be products you and your family use that are unsafe. If a dangerous product injures you or a loved one, you can file a product liability lawsuit or defective product claim to obtain monetary compensation.
Before filing a claim or lawsuit against the designer, manufacturer, or retailer of a defective product there are certain things you should do.
Here’s What You Need to Do:
If you or a loved one has an injury caused by a dangerous product:
- Seek Immediate Medical Assistance: Injuries that are not treated can lead to additional complications. Even if the injury seems minor, it is best to see a doctor to rule out anything serious. Plus, the doctor will make official documentation on your injuries and provide a record that you were injured by a defective product.
- Keep the Product: The product is the most important piece of evidence for your case. Make sure you keep it. If we are unable to prove the product is dangerous because it is no longer in our possession, our chances of winning your case decrease dramatically.
- Do not Alter the Product: Do not tamper with, repair, or otherwise alter the product after the injury-producing event. If a product is altered, the manufacturer or designer can argue that the product was safe and that the injury is a cause of the alterations to the original product.
- Collect Documentation and Evidence: Keep the original product packing, instructions, or warnings if possible. All documents and correspondence received from the manufacturer or designer are part of building a strong defective product claim. Obtain contact information of any witnesses to the incident. Their potential statements can often help bolster the investigation.
- Call MKP Law Group, LLP for a Free Consultation: MKP Law Group, LLP is an experienced product liability law firm that knows how to effectively handle defective product cases in order to maximize our client’s monetary recovery. It can be difficult to prove who is at-fault for product liability lawsuits which is why our Los Angeles product liability lawyers work with a team of qualified experts to investigate and prove your case. We have a proven track record of success fighting large manufacturing companies.
Product Liability Laws and What You Need to Know
Product liability and defective product cases are an area of law that deals with holding product manufacturers, distributors, sellers, suppliers, and designers responsible for injuries caused by a dangerous, defective, or malfunctioning product.
If a dangerous product injured you or a loved one, you could file a product liability claim against any of the following:
- The manufacturer
- The designer
- The seller of the product.
You do not have to be the person who actually bought the dangerous product to bring a case. For example, innocent bystanders injured by defective products can also obtain monetary compensation for past and future medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Investigating and Determining Who is Liable
Defective product claims require a thorough investigation of the product in order to determine why the product is unsafe and who is responsible for your injuries. Typically, expert testimony is required to establish that the product was inherently defective. Product liability lawsuits can be filed by the injured person or their family members in a case of wrongful death, but due to the complex nature of the claims and the cost of expensive experts needed to prove fault, it is best to hire an experienced defective product attorney.
The source of the defect in the dangerous product helps our lawyers and experts determine which party is responsible for you or your loved one’s injuries and losses. The circumstances and details of product liability and defective product cases can vary greatly from case to case, but there are three general categories of defective product claims:
Defective Design
These types of product liability cases occur when a product’s design is inherently dangerous or defective. The flaw is in the design of the product itself, making the defective product dangerous even when it was used as intended. An example of a design defect is a car model that is top-heavy and rolls over too easily or an electric blanket that catches fire. The designer of the defective product is obligated to reasonably test and investigate whether a product’s design is dangerous prior to manufacturing the product.
Defective Manufacturing
Defective manufacturing products liability cases stem from a product that was flawed due to a manufacturing error when it was produced or fabricated. Defective manufacturing is the most common type of product liability suits. Unlike a design defect that renders an entire product line dangerous, product liability claims stemming from defective manufacturing are typically isolated to several poorly manufactured products that were misproduced. Injury victims need to prove that the product defect that caused their injury existed at the time the product left the manufacture
Failure to Provide Adequate Warning or Instructions
Failure to warn cases involve products that could potentially be dangerous if they are used incorrectly or in a way not intended by the product manufacturer. Oftentimes the dangerous aspects of the product are not obvious or readily identifiable to the consumer. In these types of cases, the manufacturer is required to provide warnings or instructions that inform the consumer on how to safely and properly use the product. Warning labels should be highly visible and need to inform the consumer of existing hazards, the severity and effects of the hazard, and how to properly use the product in order to avoid any danger.
3 Theories of Liability for Product Liability Lawsuits
There are different theories of liability under which product liability lawsuits can be brought, including:
- Breach of Warranty: This occurs when an injury is caused by a product used as intended, but that did not function as it should. Warranties can be either express or implied.
- Negligence: Product liability negligence claims occur when the product was otherwise safe but became defective due to negligence on the part of one of the manufacturers.
- Strict Liability: Claimants need only show that a defective product caused their injuries without having to prove the manufacturer, designer or retailer was somehow negligent.
What is California’s Strict Liability Law?
California product liability law holds anyone who designs, manufactures, or sells a dangerous or defective product strictly liable for any injuries caused by the product.
Strict liability means that the party at fault must compensate injury victims regardless of whether there was an error or some other type of negligence when the product was sold or created.
In strict product liability cases, it does not matter whether the defendant was negligent or even took reasonable precautions to prevent the defect. They are still on the hook for any damages caused by the product.
Strict product liability laws exist to address the fact that injury victims are typically not in a position to prove negligence that occurs during design or manufacturing. To prove a manufacturer, retailer, or designer is strictly liable, the consumer must prove all the following elements:
- When the product was designed, manufactured, or sold, it was unreasonably dangerous (i.e., defective).
- The victim’s injuries are a result of product defects.
- The product was used in its intended manner, and instructions were followed. (If a consumer alters the product and is subsequently injured, proving negligence may be difficult).
You should note that there is no federal product liability law. So, states have their own respective product liability laws. Usually, there are state commercial statutes that contain warranty rules that subsequently affect product liability.
Laws vary state-to-state, but these general rules are important to keep in mind:
- You do not have to be the purchaser or owner of the defective product.
- You can be injured from defective products even if you are not using the product directly (i.e., a victim can be an injured bystander).
- It is possible to recover compensation for certain used products (depending on the product, type of defect, and your local state law).
What Damages Can Be Recovered for Victims?
Defective and dangerous products can cause catastrophic injuries to consumers and bystanders. Oftentimes these product liability injuries can be permanent, forever changing the victim and their family members’ lives.
It is the responsibility of the product manufacturers, designers, and retailers to ensure consumer products meet safety protocols and standards. If manufacturers and designers make a defective product that injures someone, they can be forced to compensate the victim for their losses and damages.
Damages that can be recovered in a product liability lawsuit include:
- Economic Damages: Typically includes hospital bills, lost wages, loss of future earnings, future medical bills, and the cost to repair or replace damaged property.
- Pain & Suffering: Commonly referred to as “general” damages, these types of damages are awarded to reimburse the victim for losses that cannot be easily calculated. These damages take into account the emotional and personal impact the injury has on the victim’s life, including physical pain and suffering, embarrassment, loss of enjoyment of life, and mental anguish.
- Punitive Damages: These types of damages are only awarded in cases where the product designer or manufacturer acted with extreme recklessness or knowingly placed a dangerous product into the marketplace. Punitive damages are designed to punish the defendant and deter similar future conduct. These are only awarded in certain cases where the evidence clearly shows the defendant’s conduct was extremely deplorable.
The amount of damages you or a loved one are entitled to recover in a product liability suit depends greatly on a number of factors. These factors include the nature of your injuries, the effects the injury had on your life as a whole, and the circumstances of the case.
Remember, these cases can be very difficult to prove, and victims are often fighting against multi-million dollar companies that have vast resources to fight the claim or lawsuit. That is why product liability suits should be handled by an attorney experienced in handling defective product cases.
Contact MKP Law Group, LLP Today for Your Own Experienced Product Liability Attorney in Los Angeles
If you or someone you know is injured from the use of a defective product, call us today at 310-285-5353 for a free consultation so that we can answer your questions in person and explain the legal process.
Our Los Angeles product liability lawyers have dealt with numerous product liability cases and know-how to decipher the insurance company puzzle and California’s product liability laws to maximize our clients’ recoveries. We have the experience and resources necessary to handle the toughest product liability claims, and we welcome the opportunity to assist you.
You should not accept any settlement offer made by an insurance company or manufacturer without first consulting with MKP Law Group, LLP’s attorneys. As always, if we don’t win your case, you don’t owe us a dime.
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