Product Liability Law: Upholding Your Rights

All too often, defective products cause serious harm to consumers. Under Virginia's complex products liability law, designers, manufacturers and sellers of defective products may be held liable for the damages caused by a product's defective condition. Examples of products liability cases Joshua Silverman has handled include defective medical devices, defective motorcycles, defective airbags, infant bottle warmers, and contaminated food products.

Product Liability

Joshua Silverman is a product liability lawyer who fights for his clients' compensation after personal injury from a faulty product. It is important in a product liability case that the faulty product or piece of equipment or machinery is preserved as it is critical evidence of to prove the fault of the manufacturer. Product liability law includes automobiles, workplace machinery, and more.

Under Virginia law, a product must be reasonably safe for its intended purposes and for its reasonably foreseeable uses. However, products are not required to be designed or produced with features representing the ultimate in safety.  They simply must be reasonably safe.

If a product is inherently dangerous and the danger is not obvious, the seller must adequately warn of the foreseeable risks of using the product. If the supplier fails to warn of the foreseeable risks, a claim can be brought against the seller for the failure to warn. However, there is no duty to warn of an obvious danger.

Many products come with express warranties. In some circumstances, statements made about the quality or characteristics of a product in advertising literature, websites or sales negotiations will be deemed to be an express warranty. If you are harmed by a product because of a feature that did not live up to its warranty, you may have a valid products liability claim. In addition in most situations, a warranty implies the product is reasonably safe for its intended use and other reasonably foreseeable purposes. If a product is sold in an unreasonably dangerous condition, then there is a breach of this implied warranty and you may have a valid products liability claim against the seller.

Virginia law requires a buyer to notify the seller of any product defect within a reasonable time after the buyer discovers, or should have discovered, the defect. Therefore, you should not delay in hiring a lawyer if you believe you were injured by a defective product. This requirement does not apply to non-purchasers of the product who are injured by the product.

In Virginia, a person injured by a defective product usually has two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit. If a lawsuit is filed after that time it may be dismissed by the Court for being filed too late. There are several exceptions to this two year statute of limitations. For example, if the injured person is a child or is mentally incompetent, the period for bringing suit may be extended. It is best to contact an attorney as soon as possible after an injury to determine the length of time available to file a lawsuit.

Lawsuits brought against companies who have designed, manufactured, distributed, or sold products are extraordinarily complex. Products liability cases involve complex scientific and technical matters requiring a thorough understanding of  the law which applies and the science and technology involved in the design and manufacturing processes. 

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Josh Silverman

Silverman Law Firm LC

At the Silverman Law Firm LC in Richmond, VA, attorney Josh Silverman and his team represent victims of personal injuries and medical malpractice. Josh Silverman has been recognized as a "Virginia Super Lawyer" every year since 2013 and was selected as a 2015 Top Rated Lawyer in Healthcare Law based on his AV Peer Review Rating in Martindale-Hubbell©.

We are available to provide individualized representation in a variety of practice areas, including:

To request a consultation at our firm, please fill out our online form or call (804) 325-4992.

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"By opening the Silverman Law Firm, I am able to carefully select cases where I can provide clients my undivided, individualized attention." Joshua D. Silverman

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