What is the “state of the art defense” in defective products law?

In California, the “state of the art defense” is a legal concept from defective products law. This defense is used by defendants in product liability suits to avoid liability when the product was reasonably safe, despite being known to be defective. The defendant can use this defense if the product was of the same design and was generally accepted in the same industry at the time of its manufacture. This defense is based on the notion that a manufacturer should not be held liable for harm caused by a product if the product is reasonably safe according to the standards and technology of its time. Proponents of this defense argue that manufacturers should not be held to the standards of future technology and products and should only be held to the standards of their time. However, there are drawbacks to using the state of the art defense. By using this defense, the defendant may be exonerated, but the plaintiff may still have suffered a loss. Additionally, this defense may not be applicable if the product was not state of the art or generally accepted by the industry at the time of its manufacture. Therefore, plaintiffs may be left without legal recourse for their injury or damages, even if the product was inherently unsafe. The state of the art defense has been used in California defective products cases and may be successful in some instances. However, defendants need to understand the limitations of this defense and the drawbacks that may not be immediately apparent. If the product was defective and outside the scope of the standard at the time, plaintiffs may be able to prevail in a defect liability suit.

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What is the “state of the art defense” in defective products law?

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