California Product Liability Lawyer
Defective and dangerous products can cause serious injuries, permanent disabilities, and life-altering consequences. When a product is unsafe because of a design defect, manufacturing defect, missing warning, or corporate negligence, injured consumers may have the right to pursue compensation.
At ER Trial Lawyers, our California product liability lawyers represent individuals and families harmed by unsafe consumer products, automotive defects, industrial equipment, defective machinery, and other dangerous products. We take on manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and corporations to hold them accountable when unsafe products cause serious injuries.
Proven Results in Complex Litigation
Product liability cases often require the resources, preparation, and trial experience needed to take on large manufacturers, distributors, insurance companies, and corporate defendants. These are rarely simple claims. They may involve engineering analysis, product testing, expert testimony, corporate records, safety standards, and detailed investigation into how and why a product failed.
ER Trial Lawyers has extensive experience handling complex, high-stakes litigation against powerful defendants. The firm has helped recover more than $1.7 billion for clients in cases involving utility companies and other major entities, demonstrating the resources and legal strategy needed to pursue accountability in difficult cases.
In product liability cases, we apply that same level of investigation, preparation, and aggressive advocacy to hold manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and corporations accountable when dangerous or defective products cause serious injuries.
What Is a Product Liability Claim?
A product liability claim arises when a defective or dangerous product causes injury to a consumer, worker, driver, patient, or other user. These claims are designed to hold manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and other responsible parties accountable when unsafe products are placed into the marketplace.
Product liability cases often involve serious injuries caused by consumer products, vehicle components, medical devices, industrial equipment, machinery, tools, appliances, electronics, children’s products, or other defective goods.
Product liability claims typically fall into three main categories:
- Design defects, where the product was unsafe because of the way it was designed
- Manufacturing defects, where an error occurred during production, assembly, or quality control
- Failure to warn, where the company failed to provide proper instructions, safety warnings, or risk disclosures
Understanding the nature of the defect is essential to building a strong case. A California product liability lawyer can investigate how the product failed, identify the responsible parties, preserve key evidence, and determine whether the injury was caused by a design flaw, manufacturing error, inadequate warning, or another safety failure.
Common Types of Product Defect Cases We Handle
Product liability claims can arise from a wide range of consumer, automotive, industrial, workplace, and medical products. ER Trial Lawyers represents individuals injured by defective or dangerous products across many industries.
Common product defect cases may involve:
- Defective vehicle components, including faulty airbags, brakes, tires, seatbelts, electrical systems, fuel systems, steering components, and other auto parts that fail and cause serious injuries
- Dangerous medical devices, including implanted or wearable devices that malfunction, migrate, break, fail prematurely, or were improperly designed, tested, or labeled
- Defective consumer products, including household items, electronics, tools, children’s products, furniture, batteries, appliances, and other products that pose unreasonable safety risks
- Industrial and workplace equipment, including heavy machinery, power tools, safety equipment, ladders, scaffolding, forklifts, and other equipment that fails because of design or manufacturing defects
- Defective pharmaceuticals, including prescription medications with dangerous side effects, contamination issues, inadequate warnings, or undisclosed risks
- Defective recreational products, including sporting goods, fitness equipment, helmets, protective gear, and outdoor products that fail during normal or expected use
Product liability cases often involve serious injuries, long-term medical care, permanent disability, or wrongful death. Identifying the product, the type of defect, and the parties involved in designing, manufacturing, distributing, or selling the product is a critical first step in determining liability.
ER Trial Lawyers works with qualified experts to investigate how the product failed, whether safer alternatives existed, whether proper warnings were provided, and how the defect caused injury.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Defective Product in California?
In California product liability cases, responsibility may extend beyond the manufacturer. Multiple parties involved in the design, production, distribution, marketing, or sale of a defective product may be held liable when that product causes injury.
Depending on the facts of the case, liable parties may include:
- Product manufacturers, including companies that design, produce, assemble, or market the defective product
- Component part manufacturers, when a defective part within a larger product causes or contributes to the injury
- Distributors and wholesalers, including entities that supply, transport, or distribute the product through the supply chain
- Retailers and sellers, including stores or online sellers that place the defective product into the hands of consumers
- Companies responsible for warnings or instructions, when inadequate labels, safety warnings, or instructions contribute to the injury
- Maintenance, repair, or service companies, when improper repair, inspection, or servicing causes a product to become unsafe
Identifying every responsible party is often essential in product liability cases, especially when the injuries are serious, catastrophic, or fatal. A defective product claim may involve multiple companies, insurance carriers, corporate records, product testing, expert analysis, and detailed investigation into how the product reached the consumer.
ER Trial Lawyers conducts thorough investigations to identify all potentially liable parties and pursue compensation from every available source.
What Compensation Is Available in California Product Liability Cases?
Individuals injured by defective products may be entitled to compensation for the physical, financial, and emotional harm they have suffered. Because defective products can cause catastrophic injuries, compensation should account for both immediate losses and the long-term impact on the victim’s future.
In California product liability cases, recoverable damages may include:
- Medical expenses, including hospital care, surgeries, rehabilitation, medications, follow-up care, and future treatment
- Lost income, including wages lost during recovery and time away from work
- Loss of earning capacity, when long-term injuries limit the victim’s ability to return to the same job, career, or level of income
- Pain and suffering, including physical pain, emotional distress, trauma, and reduced quality of life
- Permanent disability or disfigurement, including long-term or lifelong impairments caused by the defective product
- Future care needs, including rehabilitation, assistive devices, home modifications, and long-term support
- Wrongful death damages, when a defective product causes a fatal injury and surviving family members pursue compensation for their losses
The value of a product liability claim depends on the severity of the injuries, the impact on the victim’s life, the strength of the evidence, the parties involved, and whether the product defect caused temporary, permanent, catastrophic, or fatal harm.
A California product liability attorney can help evaluate potential damages, identify every available source of compensation, and pursue the full financial recovery allowed under the law.
What to Do If You Were Injured by a Defective Product
If you were injured by a defective or dangerous product, the steps you take early can help protect your health, preserve important evidence, and strengthen a potential product liability claim.
Important steps may include:
- Seek medical attention immediately
Your health comes first. Prompt medical care also creates records linking your injuries to the incident. - Preserve the product and packaging
Do not repair, alter, return, or throw away the product. Keep the product, packaging, receipts, manuals, labels, warnings, instructions, and any related parts or accessories. - Take photos and videos
Photograph the product, your injuries, the location where the incident occurred, visible damage, model numbers, serial numbers, labels, warnings, and anything else that may help show what happened. - Keep records of your losses
Save medical bills, treatment records, receipts, lost wage information, repair estimates, and notes about how the injury affects your daily life. - Avoid giving statements to manufacturers or insurance companies
Statements made to companies, claims representatives, or insurance adjusters may later be used to limit or deny responsibility. - Speak with a California product liability attorney
An experienced attorney can evaluate whether the product was defective, identify all responsible parties, preserve critical evidence, and determine the appropriate legal strategy.
Product liability cases often involve complex investigations, expert analysis, corporate defendants, and evidence that can be lost if action is delayed. Early legal guidance can help ensure the defective product is preserved, deadlines are protected, and the full impact of the injury is properly documented.
Product Liability Lawyers Serving Ventura County and Los Angeles County
Product liability cases are complex. They often involve powerful corporate defendants, technical evidence, expert testimony, product testing, corporate records, and aggressive insurance defense. Choosing the right legal team can make a significant difference in how a case is investigated, prepared, and resolved.
ER Trial Lawyers represents individuals and families harmed by defective products throughout Southern California, including Ventura County and Los Angeles County. With offices in Westlake Village and Manhattan Beach, our firm is positioned to serve clients across both regions.
Product-related injuries can happen anywhere, from defective vehicle components on busy Los Angeles freeways to dangerous consumer products used in homes throughout Ventura County. These cases may involve unsafe auto parts, household products, industrial equipment, medical devices, tools, appliances, or other defective products that cause serious injury.
When you work with ER Trial Lawyers, you can expect:
- Trial-focused representation — We are not a settlement-only firm. We prepare cases with litigation and trial in mind from the beginning.
- Thorough investigation — We work with engineers, medical experts, product specialists, and industry professionals to identify defects and establish liability.
- Detailed evidence preservation — We focus on preserving the product, packaging, warnings, manuals, records, and other key evidence before it is lost or altered.
- Personalized legal guidance — Every case is different, and we take the time to understand how the injury has affected your health, work, finances, and daily life.
- No upfront legal fees — We handle product liability cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no fees unless compensation is recovered.
Our goal is to hold manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and other responsible parties accountable while helping injured clients pursue the compensation they deserve under California law.
Frequently Asked Questions About Product Liability in California
What qualifies as a product liability case in California?
A product liability case may arise when a person is injured by a defective or dangerous product. These claims may involve design defects, manufacturing defects, inadequate warnings, unsafe instructions, defective vehicle components, dangerous medical devices, consumer products, industrial equipment, tools, appliances, or other unsafe products.
Do I need to prove negligence in a California product liability case?
Not always. Many California product liability cases involve strict liability, which may allow an injured person to pursue a claim by proving that the product was defective, that the defect existed when it left the defendant’s control, and that the defect caused injury. Other claims may also involve negligence, failure to warn, or breach of warranty theories.
Who can be sued in a product liability claim?
Depending on the circumstances, manufacturers, component part manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, online sellers, companies responsible for warnings or instructions, and maintenance or repair companies may be held liable for injuries caused by a defective product.
How long do I have to file a product liability lawsuit in California?
In many California product liability injury cases, the deadline to file a lawsuit is generally two years from the date of injury. However, exceptions may apply depending on the facts, the type of claim, when the injury was discovered, whether a minor was involved, or whether another legal deadline applies. It is important to speak with a product liability attorney as soon as possible.
What compensation can I recover in a product liability case?
Compensation may include medical expenses, future medical care, lost income, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent disability, disfigurement, future care needs, and wrongful death damages when a defective product causes a fatal injury.
What should I do after being injured by a defective product?
After a defective product injury, seek medical care, preserve the product and packaging, keep receipts, manuals, warnings, labels, and instructions, take photos or videos, document your losses, and avoid giving statements to manufacturers or insurance companies before getting legal guidance.
Do I need a lawyer for a product liability claim?
Product liability cases are often complex and may involve large corporations, technical evidence, expert testimony, product testing, corporate records, and multiple responsible parties. An experienced attorney can investigate the defect, preserve evidence, identify liable parties, and pursue full compensation on your behalf.
Does ER Trial Lawyers handle product liability cases in Ventura County and Los Angeles County?
Yes. ER Trial Lawyers represents people injured by defective products throughout California, including Ventura County and Los Angeles County. With offices in Westlake Village and Manhattan Beach, the firm helps clients investigate dangerous products and pursue claims against manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and other responsible parties.
How much does it cost to hire a product liability attorney?
ER Trial Lawyers handles product liability cases on a contingency fee basis. This means there are no upfront legal fees, and the firm only gets paid if compensation is recovered on your behalf.
Speak With a California Product Liability Lawyer Today
If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product, you may have the right to pursue compensation. The attorneys at Ellis Riccobono, LLP have the experience and resources to take on complex product liability cases and fight for the results you deserve.
ER Trial Lawyers handles product liability cases on a contingency fee basis—there are no upfront costs, and no legal fees unless compensation is recovered.
Contact Our Firm to Learn More
If there is no recovery, then there are never any fees or costs to you.
