Defective Products Class Actions

Defective products cause millions of injuries throughout America, ultimately costing the public more than $500 billion every year. Damages range from the cost of replacing a damaged or defective product, to medical costs and property damage, to deaths caused by the defective product. Federal and state laws protect consumers from many types of defective products, and give them a right to recover damages for injuries caused by defective products that make it into the marketplace. When defective products cause injuries to large numbers of people, our experienced Chicago class action lawyers can help injured consumers to assert their rights through a class action lawsuit, especially if the amount of damages each consumer might be able to collect is relatively small. Manufacturers or sellers of dangerous or defective products may be more inclined to pay for damages caused by their products when faced with a large class of plaintiffs.

Defective Products

Defective products injure tens of millions of people in America each year. This includes almost any product sold to consumers, such as:

• Clothing and accessories;
• Machinery, tools, and other equipment;
• Household items and appliances;
• Toys and other children’s items;
• Drugs and other medications;
• Medical devices;
• Chemicals, including toxic substances like pesticides and herbicides;
• Automobiles and automobile parts, including tires; and
• Food and dietary supplements.

Products Liability Law

State and federal products liability laws allow consumers who have suffered injury due to a defective product to bring suit against the product’s manufacturer, distributor, or seller. In general, consumers may only recover for damages caused by reasonably foreseeable risks associated with the product, and they must prove that they were using the product correctly when the injury occurred. Consumers may claim three kinds of product defects: (1) a design defect, in products that pose a risk of danger because of their design; (2) a manufacturing defect, when a problem that occurs during the manufacturing or assembly process renders the product unsafe; or (3) a marketing defect, when a manufacturer or seller fails to warn consumers of reasonably foreseeable risks associated with the proper use of the product.

Class Actions

When a defective product has caused similar injuries to a large group of people, the victims may benefit from bringing their claims together as part of a class action. This allows similarly-situated plaintiffs to file a single lawsuit that includes all other consumers who have suffered the same injury. A plaintiff who files a class action suit must describe the intended class in the initial complaint, identify the injuries and claims that class members have in common, and assert grounds for certifying the lawsuit as a class action. This is ideal in situations where hundreds or thousands of consumers have suffered physical or financial injury due to a product defect.

The Chicago class action attorneys at Nationwide Consumer Rights have represented plaintiffs in consumer rights and other civil claims for decades. Our practice is committed to protecting the rights of consumers around the country. Contact us today online or at 630-333-0000 to schedule a free and confidential consultation with one of our attorneys.