Defective ProductsWritten by Anna Henningsgaard
Have you ever noticed how many warning labels are on things? As a child I always especially noticed tag on hair dryer because it addressed me directly: “Warn children of risk of death by electrocution”. These warning labels are placed on products to protect company from lawsuits from people who injure themselves with products, because label warns consumers about potential risks or dangerous applications of product. Many of labels seem ridiculous with warnings such as “do not ingest” or “do not place near open flame”, but if warnings were missing and you hurt yourself, you could sue company for marketing a defective product!The 1994 Safety Regulations on general product safety apply to both new and second-hand consumer products. Among hundreds of products included are clothing, medicines, agricultural and horticultural products, DIY tools, food and drink, household goods, nursery goods, chemicals and pesticides, and motor vehicles. These rules require all suppliers of these goods to supply products that are safe when used in both normal and unusual-but-predictable applications. Taking into account all circumstances, if a product does not provide a reasonable level of safety it is considered a defective product. A product that merely doesn’t work, but also does not hurt anybody, does not qualify as defective. You can return such a product to manufacturer or pursue action under law of contract, but without being dangerous this broken product does not qualify for a defective product lawsuit. Other circumstances, like warning labels, are also relevant to determining whether a product is defective or not. If there is a label warning you of electrocution, you can reasonably expect to be electrocuted if you misuse product.
| | Class Action SuitsWritten by Anna Henningsgaard
A class action lawsuit is a civil suit. Civil law regulates relations between people, so this is court in which you assert your rights against persons and enterprises. As opposed to a criminal trial, in which someone is accused of breaking law, civil court regulates actions that simply harm others but are not necessarily against law. A class action lawsuit is a different format than most lawsuits because it is brought on by one or more people on behalf of themselves as well as a host of other people in a similar situation. If a group of people have experienced same circumstances and these common issues are most critical issues of lawsuit, they can partake in a class action together.One of most common examples of this is when lots of consumers are
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