Liability for Defectively Manufactured Products

This lesson deals with liability for defectively manufactured products. It does not consider liability for defectively designed products, or products that are defective because of an inadequate warning, which are dealt with in the lesson Liability for Defectively Designed Products.

It begins by considering who can be strictly liable for a defectively manufactured product--manufacturer and subsequent sellers--then goes on to consider what kinds of products attract strict liability. Finally, it considers the key question of proof of a causal link between the defect in the product and the harm suffered by the plaintiff.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Explain the difference between defectively designed and defectively manufactured products.
2. Discuss who can be strictly liable for a defectively manufactured product.
3. Explain what kinds of products attract strict liability.
4. Analyze the question of proof that the defect in the product was the proximate cause of the harm that the plaintiff suffered.