In today's litigious society, the risk of product liability lawsuits is great and, therefore, should be factored into the cost of doing business. Under product liability law, a person who has been injured by a defective product (i.e., a plaintiff) mayattempt to recover monetary compensation or "damages" for the injury by suing any company or individual (i.e., the defendant) involved in the product's manufacture, distribution, or sale. Product liability lawsuits are usually decided in two stages: first, a court will determine whether the defendant was responsible or "liable" for the injury to the plaintiff; and second, if liability is found, the court will assess the kind and amount of damages to award to the plaintiff. Notably, there is no uniform, Federal law used to decide product liability cases throughout the United States. Rather, in such cases, the laws of individual States govern both the determination of liability and the assessment of damages.
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