We are lawyers who defend manufacturers in product liability lawsuits. We have written this guide because our experience has taught us this very important lesson—
Manufacturers are hurt in product liability litigation in the United States because their key employees do not understand the law and the legal process used to obtain damage awards from their employers. Because they lack this information, these employees in their day-to-day actions commit errors that lose lawsuits and increase the amount of damages awarded.
This primer provides basic information about product liability laws and legal procedures in product liability lawsuits in the United States. It also suggests measures that you can take to reduce your product liability exposure.
This book is intended to be read by your nonlegal personnel. It can be used as a source for a product liability prevention program or as the syllabus for a more extensive corporate program. We have simplified where possible, but product liability is not a simple subject. This guide will yield its maximum benefit if studied carefully.
We conduct product liability educational seminars for our manufacturing clients because we know that product liability exposure is reduced when the type of information contained in this primer is provided to employees—particularly to managers and other key decision makers. These are the people who make design decisions, determine what product literature or placards are called for, evaluate in-service experience, and adopt or reject product improvements. These are also the people who will be called on to testify in American courts in defense of your products. This primer was written for them.
