Product Liability

Product liability is the area of law under which manufacturers, distributors, and retailers can be held legally responsible for injuries caused by defective or unreasonably dangerous products. In mass tort litigation, product liability claims typically arise when a large number of plaintiffs allege harm from the same product—such as a pharmaceutical drug, medical device, or consumer good—sharing common defect theories including design defect, manufacturing defect, or failure to warn. Plaintiff firms running mass tort campaigns built around product liability claims must ensure intake screening captures the specific product, exposure period, and resulting injury to establish a viable case profile. The volume and uniformity of product liability claims often make them strong candidates for multidistrict litigation (MDL) consolidation.