Articles

DTCI: IPLA’s domestic distributor rule: What is a principal distributor?

In a case involving an allegedly defective product manufactured outside the United States, the manufacturer may quickly file a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. Alternatively, it may be impossible to secure service upon an overseas manufacturer of a product. In either situation, an attorney who happens to represent a U.S. distributor of the product may be wondering if the U.S. client will be left holding the bag for a manufacturing defect (i.e., strict liability) if the manufacturer is dismissed.

Read More

7th Circuit revives complaints in Cook MDL

After Cook, Inc., had a pair of complaints dismissed from a multi-district litigation by arguing the opposite of what it had asserted against other complaints filed in the same MDL, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the two lawsuits, finding the switcheroo was not fair to the plaintiffs.

Read More

DTCI: Providing Instructions Under the IPLA

The Indiana Product Liability Act (IPLA) can prove confusing for litigants unfamiliar with its many nuances. While the burden of proving duty, breach, causation, and damages rests with the plaintiff in a civil action, in practice, defense attorneys are often tasked with extricating a defendant that has no duty of care with respect to the specific claims brought against it.

Read More

DTCI: Risk assessment and hazard analysis: making products defendable

Manufacturers operating in an international market must be prepared to defend their products in any venue. Risk assessment and hazard analysis is a “prepackaged” tool the manufacturer can use in defending product liability lawsuits; it shows how the manufacturer considered and accounted for risk at every stage of the design process.

Read More

Seeking a safe harbor: Manufacturers call for liability protections amid COVID-19 efforts

As the novel coronavirus began its spread across the United States, virtually every industry adjusted operations. That includes the manufacturing industry, which was faced with the dichotomy of the need for layoffs and the need for additional output. But as these businesses have aided in the effort to slow the spread of the virus, industry experts say there’s a shadow over their work: the fear of liability lawsuits.

Read More