Defective Product Protection
SB 59 & AB 147 - Sen. Ted Kanavas & Rep. Bill Kramer
Defective Product Protection
Oppose
This bill would shield bad corporate actors from the law and limit corporate accountability. Its passage would present a danger to consumer safety.
The provisions of this bill limit accountability for bad corporate actors and sets arbitrary time limits for injured consumers to seek a remedy.
This bill endangers consumer safety by inhibiting innovation in product safety, often the result of product liability cases. The bill also shields distributors and sellers from liability, reducing industry incentives to produce and sell the safest products possible - a detriment to us all.
Additionally, this bill eliminates corporate accountability for products that complied with relevant government regulations at the time of sale. As Governor Doyle put it when he vetoed this legislation in the last session, "protecting products like the Ford Pinto doesn't help consumers or the economy; it simply puts the public at risk."
Millions of Americans benefits from changes corporations made with pressure from trial attorneys in these cases: kids' clothing is flame-retardant; toys are made larger to prevent choking; passengers are more likely to survive a car crash because of air bags and safer auto design; dangerous medical devices have been taken off the market; and drugs are required to be tested upfront.