Defective Household Products Class Actions

In every aspect of our daily lives, we rely on the safety of products intended to make certain tasks easier or more efficient, from kitchen utensils to household appliances. These products come to us from countless manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, all of whom owe us a duty of care to make reasonably certain that the products are safe and suitable for their intended uses. When a household product is dangerous or defective, the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer of that product may be liable for any injuries it causes. When a dangerous or defective household product causes similar injuries to numerous people, those people may be able to join their claims in a class action against the responsible party or parties. The Chicago defective household product lawyers at Nationwide Consumer Rights have decades of experience representing injured consumers in claims for defective household products.

Defective Household Products

Consumer products are found in every part of a typical home, and a dangerous condition or defect in any one of these products could cause injury and give rise to a claim for damages. Household products that could pose a danger may include:

• Kitchen utensils and small appliances;
• Major appliances, such as dishwashers or washing machines;
• Bathroom fixtures;
• Cleaning supplies;
• Hygiene supplies, such as soap and shampoo;
• Medications;
• Cosmetics;
• Food and dietary supplements;
• Clothing and accessories, including jewelry;
• Toys and other children’s items, such as cribs and playpens; or
• Swimming pools and pool equipment.

Defects and dangerous conditions may include impurities in foods or medications, side effects from medications, choking and other hazards in clothing or children’s toys, and fire or shock hazards in electrical appliances.

Products Liability Law

Consumers who have been injured by a dangerous or defective household product have rights under state and federal products liability laws. They may recover damages from the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer of a dangerous or defective product if they can show that it is more likely than not that (1) they were using the product correctly when their injury occurred, and (2) that the product’s dangerous condition or defect caused the injury. Defects or dangerous conditions that can cause actionable damages may include defects occurring during the design or manufacturing of the product, or the failure to warn of a reasonably foreseeable hazard associated with the product.

Defective Household Product Class Actions

When a dangerous or defective product causes injury to a large number of people, they may be able to bring their claims as a class action lawsuit. To qualify as a class action for a dangerous or defective household product, a plaintiff must show that the members of the proposed class have all suffered similar injuries, and that they have similar legal claims against the defendant. In cases where individual consumers might lack the resources to assert a claim on their own, a class action offers them the chance to assert their rights with a large group of similarly-aggrieved consumers, in a way the defendant or defendants cannot easily ignore.

Serving consumers throughout the Chicago area, the defective household product lawyers at Nationwide Consumer Rights have fought for plaintiffs in bringing consumer rights and other civil claims for decades. We have devoted our practice to protecting the rights of consumers around the country. Contact us today online or at 630-333-0333 to schedule a free and confidential consultation with one of our Chicago defective household product attorneys.