What types of parties can be held liable for a defective product?

In the state of New York, parties found to be liable for a defective product can vary depending on the circumstances. Generally, parties who can be held responsible for a defective product include the manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of the product. The manufacturer of a product can be held liable if there is evidence that the product was defective when it left the place of manufacture, or that the product was manufactured according to incorrect specifications or with inadequate materials. Distributors such as wholesalers and warehouse operators can be held liable if they are aware of a defect in the product and do not take reasonable steps to ensure that the product is safe for use. Similarly, retailers of the defective product can be held liable for their failure to take reasonable steps to ensure that the product is safe for use. In some cases, product liability can be extended to parties who are not directly involved in the chain of distribution. This can include entities such as designers, installers, and assurers of a product’s quality. Those entities may be held liable if they had a duty to inspect the product or provide safety advice for the product, but failed to do so. Ultimately, any party that had a duty to make sure that a product was safe for use and failed to do so may be held liable for damages caused by a defective product in New York.

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What types of parties can be held liable for a defective product?

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