Defective products can cause devastating injuries, especially if you have no reason to suspect that a product is unsafe. For example, if your brakes fail at 70 mph on the highway, you could end up in a life-threatening car accident.
Some recent product liability cases that have made the news highlight the dangers inherent in defective products. Here’s a closer look.
Amazon Seller Endangers Multiple Lives
Our first example of a violation of product liability law is a case that made the news in June 2024. It involved a Shanghai-based e-commerce seller, Vevor, that sold defective products to American customers through Amazon. When these products failed, they caused several devastating injuries.
In March of 2024, Jacob Todd of Menifee, California, was using a car jack he purchased from Vevor to do some work under his car. He was severely injured when the jack buckled and the vehicle fell on him. In a fatal accident just a month earlier, truck driver James Stokes was killed when a chain load binder broke while he was loading his vehicle.
These incidents are relatively unique among product liability cases because they involve different products used for different purposes. However, complaints to the Better Business Bureau show that thousands of customers in the U.S. received defective products from this seller, resulting in 84 cases making their way through the courts.
While Vevor is the primary defendant in these cases, some plaintiffs are also suing Amazon. Despite the growing evidence that Vevor products are unsafe, Amazon continued to list them at the time these cases began making the news.
Dreamland Baby vs. the U.S. Federal Government
While most product liability claims are aimed at manufacturers, this is a rare case that involves a manufacturer suing the federal government. While the lawsuit was only filed in August 2025, it’s based on an incident that occurred in 2023.
That year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted against regulating or issuing safety standards for sleep sacks made by Dreamland Baby. Despite this fact, the commissioner of the CPSC, Richard Trunka, made public comments that harmed the Dreamland Baby’s reputation and finances.
It isn’t unusual for consumers to speak out against products that have been deemed safe by the CPSC. However, it is unusual for a member of the CPSC to make such remarks after the commission has approved a product. This case demonstrates how the law protects manufacturers who follow the rules regarding product safety.
Tesla Ordered to Pay Over $200 Million
Tesla has been under the magnifying glass for its allegedly reckless manufacturing policies for years now. In a recent verdict, a Miami jury determined that there’s evidence to support these claims.
This case began in 2019, when Naibel Benavides Leon was killed in a car accident.
Leon was traveling through an intersection in Florida when a man driving a Model S Tesla illegally entered the intersection and struck the vehicle she was in. The driver of the Tesla, George McGee, lost sight of the road when he dropped his phone and went to retrieve it.
At first glance, this seems like a textbook case of driver negligence. However, McGee was using Tesla’s Autopilot feature to assist his driving at the time of the crash.
Video footage of the accident shows that the vehicle’s Autopilot system detected that it was about to run through several traffic signals before striking a pedestrian and a parked car. Instead of taking action to prevent the accident, however, the system shut itself down.
Part of the reasoning for placing a significant portion of the fault on Tesla was probably because the company initially claimed that the video evidence had been deleted. But a forensic data expert later recovered the deleted video, making it available in court. The jury likely believed that Tesla was attempting to hide evidence.
FAQ
Who Is Responsible for Injuries in a Product Liability Claim?
Typically, the manufacturer is responsible for making a defective product. However, this assumes that the defect appeared during the design or manufacturing process. Dangerous defects can also be introduced during the transportation or storage of products. In these cases, the retailer or distributor may be the liable party.
When Should I Contact a Product Liability Lawyer?
It’s best to contact a product liability attorney as soon as possible after you’re injured. Your lawyer can help you preserve evidence that supports your claim and investigate the potentially liable parties. Product liability cases are often complicated, so the sooner you talk to an attorney, the more likely you are to recover fair compensation.
How Much Will It Cost Me to Consult a Product Liability Lawyer?
Most likely nothing. Product liability lawyers generally offer free consultations to prospective clients. This gives them a chance to examine the facts of the case and determine whether the individual has a legitimate claim. It also allows the would-be client to ask questions and learn more about their options for pursuing compensation.
Contact The Moore Law Firm to Speak With a Qualified Product Liability Lawyer
You expect the products you use every day to work as intended. When that doesn’t happen, you can be seriously injured or worse. The accomplished product liability lawyers at The Moore Law Firm can identify who is responsible for your injuries and determine how to get you the compensation you need to fully recover.
If a defective product has harmed you, don’t wait to seek help. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
If you have been injured or have lost a loved one as a result of another person's negligence, you deserve to be fully compensated for your losses. The simple fact is that you should not be forced to pay the price for another person's careless or reckless actions.