When a defective product injures you, California’s strict product-liability law lets you recover without proving the manufacturer was careless—you generally show the product had a defect and that the defect caused your injury. Everyone in the chain of distribution—manufacturer, distributor, retailer, and even online marketplaces like Amazon—can be held responsible.
What is product liability in California?
Product liability is the area of law that holds companies responsible for putting dangerous products into the marketplace. California pioneered strict liability in Greenman v. Yuba Power Products (1963): a manufacturer is liable when a product it places on the market proves to have a defect that causes injury—the injured person does not have to prove negligence, only the defect and causation.
What are the three types of product defects?
California recognizes three kinds of defects, and any one can support a claim:Defect type What it means Example Design defect Unreasonably dangerous as designed A vehicle prone to rollover Manufacturing defect Flawed during production A cracked helmet shell Warning defect Inadequate instructions or safety warnings A drug missing a known-risk warning
Who can be held liable for a defective product?
Under strict liability, everyone in the chain of distribution can be responsible—the manufacturer of the product or a component, the distributor, and the retailer that sold it. Increasingly, online marketplaces are included too.
Can you sue Amazon for a defective product?
Often, yes. In Bolger v. Amazon.com (2020), a California appeals court held that Amazon can be strictly liable for a defective product sold by a third-party seller through its marketplace. See our dedicated guide on Amazon product liability for how these claims work.
What damages can you recover?
A successful product-liability claim can recover medical expenses, lost income and earning capacity, pain and suffering, and—in cases of egregious corporate conduct—punitive damages.
What should you do after a defective-product injury?
Keep the product—do not discard, repair, or return it—along with the packaging, manual, warnings, and proof of purchase, and photograph your injury. In California you generally have two years to file (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). The product itself is the central evidence and must be preserved for expert inspection.
