If you or someone you love may have a defective products or product liability case, contact the New Jersey or Pennsylvania offices of Sheridan & Murray.
Centre Square West
38th Floor
1500 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Ph / (215) 977-9500
Fx / (215) 977-9800
403 S. White Horse Pike
Audubon, NJ 08106
Ph / (856) 216-2200
Fx / (856) 216-2342
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, dangerous or defective products lead to more than 29.5 million injuries and almost 22,000 deaths each year. Product liability laws in Pennsylvania , New Jersey, and other states are established to help protect consumers. These laws encompass all manufactured products, from children's toys and household appliances, to medical devices and food.
When a defective product causes significant harm or death, the manufacturer can be held liable for the injuries. The product liability and defective products attorneys at our Philadelphia and New Jersey offices can help injured victims obtain the compensation they deserve. We are experienced in defective product litigation and will fight to protect your rights.
Product liability laws, like those in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, have been established throughout the United States to protect consumers and provide legal recourse for persons injured by dangerous and defective products. Product liability laws vary from state to state, but generally provide injured victims and their families with a means to bring suit against product manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and sellers when their products are defective or unreasonably dangerous and result in injury or death. Any party involved in the design, manufacture, or marketing of a product may be held legally responsible for damages caused by a defective or unreasonably dangerous product.
The product liability attorneys in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey law offices of Sheridan & Murray handle all types of defective products cases including:
The trial attorneys at Sheridan & Murray are experienced, and have the expertise necessary to navigate these complex cases against the manufacturers of dangerous and defective products. If you have been injured by defective products, the lawyers of our Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or Audubon, New Jersey offices can help. We are experienced in product liability litigation and can fight to help you obtain the compensation to which you are legally entitled.
Federal and state regulations often lack serious penalties for manufacturers or sellers of dangerous products, making product liability lawsuits the consumer's most effective weapon against unreasonably dangerous products.
Product liability lawsuits in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey provide the individual citizen with an opportunity to hold greedy, reckless, or negligent manufacturers responsible for the injuries caused by their defective and dangerous products. Manufacturers of defective products are frightened and threatened by the consumer’s right to sue. They have worked vigilantly to limit or eliminate your constitutional right to hold them accountable.
Consumers need to be aware that product liability lawsuits are often complex and hard-fought battles. Manufacturers are tireless in their defense of these claims, and often have no concern for fairness or the injured victim. Manufacturers rarely settle claims early and litigate most claims. It is, therefore, critical that you hire an attorney with the experience and expertise necessary to take on such manufacturers. The product liability attorneys at Sheridan & Murray have the experience and expertise that you need to win this battle.
The fact that a product caused injury or death to a person does not, in and of itself, automatically mean the victim has a viable legal claim. The injured victim must be able to demonstrate that the product was “defective” and that the “defect” in the product caused the injury to the person. The term “defective” is legal terminology that essentially means that the product is “unreasonably dangerous” for its intended or foreseeable uses.
A product liability lawsuit in Pennsylvania or New Jersey may be brought by or on behalf of an individual injured or killed by a defective product, against the manufacturer and all other companies responsible for placing the product in the marketplace. These include the product wholesalers, distributors, assemblers, retailers, repairers, suppliers, testing laboratories, and re-sellers. All of these companies may have played a significant role in placing the defective product onto the market, profited from their actions, and bear some responsibility for the injuries and damages caused by the defective products.
Pennsylvania , New Jersey, and other states have laws in place to protect consumers, but it’s up to the consumer to be proactive. Manufacturers are not going to volunteer compensation, and the laws cannot be enforced unless a claim is filed. You must stand up for your own rights.
Products may be defective for a variety of reasons. These defects are typically categorized as either design defects, manufacturing defects, or warning defects:
A design defect claim is a claim brought against a manufacturer that alleges the product’s design or some aspect/feature of the product is defective and unreasonably dangerous. Design defects generally focus on the entire line of the product and not simply the product that actually injured the person. Design defects often occur when the engineering or design process used by a company to design a product is faulty, resulting in a product that is unnecessarily dangerous. In most design defect cases, the plaintiff will be required to demonstrate that there was a reasonable alternative design that the manufacturer could have implemented which would have prevented the injury and would not have substantially diminished the product's effectiveness. Design defects vary from product to product, but are often encountered with industrial equipment and machinery that is not equipped with adequate safety guards and mechanisms to prevent injury to workers.
A product that is defective by design is subject to product liability laws in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
A manufacturing defect claim is a claim brought against a manufacturer where the specific product that caused injury was not manufactured or assembled as designed, or was otherwise flawed or out-of-spec. As the name indicates, manufacturing defects occur when there is a defect in the manufacturing process or assembly of a product that results in the product being defective and unreasonably dangerous. Manufacturing defects vary from product to product and case to case, but often occur when safety features or components of a product fail or do not work as intended.
A product that is defective because it was not assembled the way it was designed is subject to product liability laws in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other states.
A warning defect claim is a claim brought against a manufacturer due to the lack of, or insufficient nature of, warnings on a product. Each product poses different risks and dangers to the consumer. Some risks and dangers are inherent in the product and cannot be eliminated without diminishing the effectiveness of the product (i.e. chainsaw). Where there are dangers posed by a product, a manufacturer has a duty to warn consumers of those dangers – particularly those dangers which are not obvious. To be effective, product warnings must be conspicuous and thoroughly warn users of the dangers associated with the use of the product and the risk posed by failing to abide by those warnings.
Simply put, not all products can be expected to be 100% safe, but manufacturers are expected to warn consumers of any danger the product poses with normal use.
Products without warnings, or with insufficient warnings, are subject to product liability laws in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey.
Save The Product! When an injury or death is caused by the defective or dangerous condition of a product, it is absolutely critical that you preserve the product. This is tremendously important because, in most situations, the loss of or failure to preserve the product will result in the inability for you to prove your case that the product is defective and could ultimately lead to the dismissal of any claim.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury as a result of defective products in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, please contact the Philadelphia-based attorneys of Sheridan & Murray and we will investigate the most appropriate means of protecting your rights.
It is critical that you immediately report any injuries caused by dangerous or defective products to an attorney who can help. To speak with a knowledgeable defective products / product liability attorney, contact our Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or Audubon, New Jersey offices. Your case review is free and there is no commitment.