Where Can I Find the Best Defective Product Lawyer in Pittsburgh?

No matter where you’re located, there’s always a timeline by which you have to file your defective product case. This is called the statute of limitations. In Pittsburgh, you have up to two years from the date of the injury to file a civil lawsuit relating to your defective product claim. If you fail to file your case within the deadline, you likely won’t be able to file the claim at all, and you’ll be unable to recover any compensation, even though you would’ve been legally entitled to it otherwise. 

There are 3 types of defective product claims: design defect, manufacturing defect, and failure to warn. A design defect occurs when there’s an issue with the design before the product is actually manufactured. This means that even if everything goes according to plan in the manufacturing phase, the product could still be dangerous because the design is flawed. A manufacturing defect occurs when there’s a problem with the product during the manufacturing stage. The design is fine, but something goes wrong in the actual manufacturing of the product. A failure to warn means that a company selling the product, or the manufacturer themselves, didn’t adequately warn consumers of the dangers of the product. Typically, the only dangers they must warn consumers of are those that are not obvious, and those that would occur as a result of typical use of the product. If you use a product in a way that it isn’t intended to be used and there was no warning about the possible dangers of that type of use, you likely won’t be successful in your claim. 

In Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh included, typically the jury will decide if the product was dangerous or not. There are two possible tests that the jury can implement to make this determination: the consumer expectation test and the risk-utility test. Under the consumer expectations test, it can be determined that a product was defective if a reasonable consumer would find that it didn’t function how they expected it to, and it was unsafe. Under the risk-utility test, the plaintiff must prove that the users of the product are exposed to a risk that is greater than the utility provided by the product. 

In a defective product case in Pittsburgh, PA, you may be entitled to economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages typically include medical expenses, lost income, and any expenses you will incur in the future as a result of treatment or rehabilitation due to your injury. Non-economic damages refer to pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other compensation you might be awarded that is harder to quantify into monetary terms and doesn’t have to do with the actual money you had to spend to receive treatment for your injuries. 

Not necessarily, no. In Pittsburgh, you don’t have to prove negligence to win a defective product case. Most defective product cases in Pennsylvania are governed by strict liability. This means all you have to show is that the product was dangerous and you were injured. If you can show that injuries occurred, then the manufacturer or other defendant is strictly liable and will be held legally responsible even if they weren’t negligent. 

If you or a loved one has been injured by a defective product, let Morgan & Morgan help. We have been handling these types of cases for decades. Throughout our career, we have recovered more than $20 billion dollars for our clients. Let us recover the maximum amount of compensation for you and your family. We have lawyers throughout the country, including Pittsburgh, so no matter where you’re located, we can help you. When you hire Morgan & Morgan, you’re hiring a team of lawyers who truly care about you. We want to make sure that everyone has access to the legal services they need, so we take all of our cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you never pay us anything up front; we only get paid once we win or settle your case. Our fee comes directly out of your award or settlement money, so you never have to pay us out of your own pocket. If you’re looking for an experienced defective product lawyer in Pittsburgh, don’t hesitate to contact Morgan & Morgan for a free case consultation.