Consumers have the right to expect reasonably safe products from manufacturers. What happens when manufacturers not only fail to meet that expectation but also cause intentional harm by continuing to sell unsafe products? Learn more, including how an experienced product liability lawyer can help with your defective consumer product case.

Gross Negligence in the Manufacturing Industry

When it comes to gross negligence in the manufacturing industry, and the continued sale of defective products, one does not have to look hard for an example. Takata allegedly knew of the defective airbags and even tried to cover it up, long before any deaths from the dangerous airbags had occurred. EpiPen manufacturers had reportedly received hundreds of complaints on their faulty medical devices but failed to investigate them. Remington, the manufacturer of one of the most popular gun manufacturers in America, has received much criticism over the last several years because of an allegedly defective trigger on one of their rifles.

Parents are consistently told that the back seat of a vehicle is safest for children. Most of the time that statement is true. There is, however, an automobile defect in some vehicle makes and models that could place children at just as much risk as those riding in front seats. Even more disturbing is that the automakers of those vehicles have allegedly known of the problem for quite some time and have done nothing to correct it, even though the cost to automakers would be extremely low.

Crash Test Videos Reveals Potentially Deadly Defect

Obtained by CBS News, several crash videos show just what can happen when these car defects meet rear-end crashes. Driver and passenger seats in the front, when occupied, can collapse backwards and violently launch the rider into the backseat. Drivers and front seat passengers, themselves, are at a high risk for head injury; however, it is the passengers in the back, who are typically children, that are most at risk. Often hit in the head or chest by the skull and seat of the person in front of them, children are at risk for severe injuries that could lead to death or permanent disability.

After being ordered to pay over $3 million dollars in damages for its diabetes drug, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company will be facing more time in court, and this time the company will have to appear in Wisconsin. Japanese pharmaceutical giant, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, was ordered by a Philadelphia jury to pay $2.3 million in compensatory damages and $1.3 million in punitive damages to a former teacher, Mr. Kristufek. Kristufek claimed the company's defective diabetes drug, Actos, caused his bladder cancer.

What is Actos? 

Actos was once Takeda's top selling drug and it was used to treat diabetes. Actos has generated more than $16 billion in sales since its market release in 1999. However, the company now faces more than 4,500 federal and state court cases involving individuals who had been prescribed Actos who are now suffering serious medical conditions.

When a person experiences sickness caused by a drug's unknown side effect, or is seriously hurt by a dangerous or defective product, he or she may be able to recover the costs of his or her injuries through a products liability lawsuit.

Products liability law protects consumers from products that were defectively designed or did not meet safety standards. While Wisconsin's products liability law has recently undergone some changes, the law still works as a way to protect injured consumers.

Wisconsin's product liability law is governed by Wis. Stat. § 895.047, and in order to pursue a products liability case, a violation in the design or manufacturing of the product must be proven.

Product recalls are reported by news sources to inform the public of the potential danger a product may cause. Usually the product manufacturer initially becomes aware of the defect or problem and then issues a voluntary recall. However, in some cases, government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration or the Consumer Product Safety Commission come across the defect and inform the manufacturer of its findings. Although a recall does not hold a manufacturer strictly liable in a products liability lawsuit, it can sometimes be used as evidence to help establish that the product was defective.

McCormick Issues Recall on Ground Oregano

Dried herbs provide flavor to home cooked meals and eliminate the need to keep fresh herbs on hand. However, the popular spice manufacturer McCormick & Company recently issued a voluntary recall on their ground oregano due a possible salmonella contamination.