Kagan Leads Unanimous Court in Key Win for Plaintiffs Bar

Product liability lawsuits can vary greatly on a case-by-case basis in terms of type, circumstances, and severity of injury. A simple lawsuit may involve a manufacturer recalling a faulty product, whereas a more complex case may involve a product that injured a number of people and the manufacturer denies any wrongdoing. Regardless of the complexity of the lawsuit or the type of product in question, injured victims are often entitled to large sums of money to compensate for their personal injuries, pain, suffering and disability. Let’s take a look at some of the largest product liability lawsuits that led to substantial damages awards for injured victims.

In a stunning decision, which was rendered on March 25, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court, defied a Roberts-era label that it favors corporate interests. Our Westchester and New York City product liability lawyers know that manufactures, try to claim they can only be sued in certain states, to keep injured Plaintiffs from suing in the Courts of the State where they live. In this recent decision, the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision, made it more difficult for companies to block plaintiffs from suing in their home states for injuries caused by dangerous products. In two cases stemming from products liability suits involving car accidents, Ford Motor Co. argued that state court jurisdiction over the suits was improper because the particular cars were not sold, manufactured or designed in the forum states. However, our NYC dangeous product lawyers know that it is fundamentally unfair to tell a Plaintiff that they can't sue a manufacturer in a State, where the dangerous product caused the injury. The Supreme Court echoed this sentiment, when Judge Kagan said "When a company like Ford serves a market for a product in a state and that product causes injury in the state to one of its residents, the state’s courts may entertain the resulting suit,” To be clear, Ford, had a general presence and did business in the states where the defective products caused the injury, including advertising.  Our New York lawyers who handle dangerous product cases applaud the ruling, which keeps big companies, from using these types of tactics, to make it harder for people who are injured by dangerous products, to sue for the justice that they deserve. 

In the case before the Supreme Court,  a tire tread separated, which caused the vehicle to spin out of control and land in a ditch. If you are harmed by a product that you purchased or that was used during the process of someone else providing a service for you, you can file a lawsuit in civil court to recover monetary compensation. Manufacturers and other parties who helped create or sell the product can be defendants in product liability lawsuits because they are liable for the harm a product caused to the plaintiff (the victim bringing the lawsuit). Defendants in product liability lawsuits can be forced to pay monetary damages for various types of harm the victim may have endured (or will endure), such as medical expenses, lost wages (past and future), pain and suffering, and more.ot only do product liability laws help compensate victims, but the laws also provide accountability for product retailers, manufacturers, designers, and distributors.