Product Liability and Consumer Safety

The True Tale:

Americans buy products by the millions. All are intended for safe and effective use. But are they? Most are, but what about those that bring harm right to the consumer’s front door?

Example; A motorized lawnmower that jams up and ultimately slices a hand due to a cheap temperamental safety switch. Or, an unfriendly light fixture that overheats and starts a blazing fire. Or, the copy-cat paint remover that explodes when a nasty electrical spark ignites it. Or, the car tire that hits a small pothole causing a blowout and the loss of control of the vehicle. In all, there are thousands of products in the marketplace that look attractive, seem useful, and appear friendly, but are manufactured right up to the barest limits of safety. That’s right! Put enough stuff out there for public consumption and some innocent user will be severely injured by the product’s failure. It all comes down to statistics!

We cannot escape from the fact that we are all surrounded by a highly competitive marketplace. In order for some of the manufacturers to compete and survive, the dice are rolled and what is produced must keep the profits above the high-water mark. And to reach that goal, a few unscrupulous and malevolent manufacturers will trim the sails wherever they can, despite the injuries that are statistically predictable. But who cares? We all do! Whatever the insurance or liability costs that go with the flow, they balance the risks, fall in line with the cost saved, pop open the champagne, and let out a big yawn despite the injuries that are waiting to strike.

Let’s get real! To these sub-standard manufacturers, it all adds up to making as many products at the lowest costs in order to reach the treasure of gold. The goal: to fatten their sacred bottom line, which in some cases is far more important than generating a product that at all times will be safe for use by the consuming public. Those who pay high tribute to the dollar sign above safety can be critically described as money-making moguls without conscience. There is no other reasonable description.

Finz & Finz, P.C. is a strong advocate for the safe design and manufacturing of consumer products and we have successfully litigated some of the nation’s largest product liability cases, including a $20.5 million verdict against cigarette manufacturers Philip Morris and American Tobacco.

The Message:

• “ONE WITHOUT CONSCIENCE IS LIKE A ROBOT WITHOUT SOUL.”

Leonard L. Finz, age 96, is a decorated WWII veteran (1^st Lt., Field Artillery, Philippines), a former New York State Supreme Court Justice, Peer-Reviewed as “One of America’s Preeminent Lawyers”, and the Founder of Finz & Finz, P.C.