Products Liability

Our firm has defended many products liability claims alleging strict liability, breach of warranty or negligence arising out of alleged manufacturing defects, design defects, insufficient warnings or directions, or lack of such warnings or directions in state and federal Courts. Products liability is a growing field for the plaintiff's bar and is often associated with serious, sometimes catastrophic injuries. Missouri, unlike Illinois, is one of the states that does not have a statute of repose, so manufacturers theoretically face timeless exposure for products placed in the stream of commerce.

As discussed above, we have handled cases involving pharmaceuticals and medical devices. We have also defended claims against food handlers for products alleged to be unfit for human consumption. Other products giving rise to claims we have handled have included asbestos, automobile parts, breast implants, a calendar used to manufacture non-woven fabrics, cigarette lighters, cranes, elevators, engines, helicopters, ladders, lift trucks, printing and punch presses, soda bottles, tampons (Toxic Shock Syndrome) and valves.

Our experience has been that products liability cases are similar to professional liability cases in that a successful outcome depends in large part on the selection and preparation of defense expert witnesses. We have used a panel of engineering consulting experts in the past for preliminary evaluations of our clients' potential exposure, and work with our clients to locate and retain industry and other appropriate experts as quickly as possible.