Who is liable for damages resulting from the use of their product?

Determining who is liable for damages from product depends on the nature of your product liability lawsuit and the laws in your state regarding that type of product. As a general matter, however, product liability cases are considered to be "strict liability" cases. Under strict liability laws, usually any entity or person who was responsible for putting that defective or dangerous product into your hands can potentially be sued and held liable for the defect. 

For example, if you are injured by a defective product, you may be able to sue:

• The manufacturer of the malfunctioning part of that product
• The manufacturer of the product as a whole
• The distributor of the product or the wholesaler
• The local shopkeeper who sold the defective product to you

In fact, any or all of these people may be jointly or severally liable for the damages you are awarded. This doesn't usually mean you can get the same set of damages from each of them though. The damages will be awarded once in a court or out of court settlement and will include medical bills, lost wages, emotional distress and pain and suffering damages.

It is also important to note that if strict liability rules do apply in your product liability case, you won't need to prove that anyone was negligent to sue them. You'll just need to show that you were using the product the way you were supposed to use the product and that you got hurt as a result of that use. 

To get help deciding who to sue or for assistance in understanding how to prove your product liability case, you should strongly consider speaking with an attorney for advice.