What is strict liability in defective products law?

Strict liability in defective products law is a legal doctrine that holds a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer of a product responsible for any harm it causes, regardless of the level of care taken in making or selling the product. This means that even if the manufacturer or seller took all possible precautions to make sure the product was safe, they can still be held responsible for any injuries or harm that the product causes. In Arkansas, a plaintiff bringing a lawsuit for a defective product must show that the product was “dangerous” or “unreasonably dangerous” when it left the manufacturer’s hands. This means that the product must have had a defect that either the manufacturer knew about or should have known about, and that the defect made the product more dangerous than a reasonable consumer would expect. Once the plaintiff establishes that the product was unreasonably dangerous, the plaintiff is relieved from having to prove that the defendant was negligent or acted with intent to cause harm. This is known as strict liability, and it is the basis for most defective product lawsuits. Strict liability also puts the burden on the manufacturer to show that they took reasonable steps to make sure the product was safe, or to prove that the injury or harm was caused by something other than the product itself. Ultimately, the point of strict liability in defective product law is to provide the victims of such products with compensation for their harm.

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What is strict liability in defective products law?

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