Cornell Law School‘s Legal Information Institute defines product liability as “liability of any or all parties along the chain of manufacture of any product for damage caused by that product.” In other words, when a company sells a finished product for use by a person, all parties involved in the design, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution have a basic legal responsibility to ensure that the product is safe to use under normal and intended circumstances.
When a product does not meet this basic standard of quality and safety, serious injuries can occur. Consider what would happen if the brakes on your car suddenly failed, or if your child’s toy caught fire in direct sunlight. Product liability law addresses these sorts of harms by seeking compensation for injured people.