Design Defects in Products
A company is responsible for determining that the design of their product is not dangerous. A product liability lawsuit can be filed if the design process used to produce a product contributed to that product being unusually dangerous. Unfortunately, if the design is dangerous, all products with that same design could be unsafe. A flaw may not be found until after the products have been purchased. Sometimes companies may recall the product, but if you purchased the product you might not be able to avoid injury. One of the most famous design flaw cases was the case of the Ford Pinto. In the early designs the company decided to put the gas tank in the rear even though there was a risk for injury for occupants involved in a rear-end collision. Ford was aware of the design flaw but allegedly refused to pay for the expense for the redesign. Ford decided instead to payoff the lawsuits for possible deaths. In one of the most famous product liability cases to date, Ford had to pay compensatory damages of $2.5 million and punitive damages of $3.5 million for their disregard of safety in favor of corporate profits.
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