A product liability case is a lawsuit filed by a person who has been injured as a result of using some type of product. For example, a child might suffer an injury from a defective toy causing the parent to file a lawsuit. Someone might become burned by a toxic chemical in a cleaning product, a food product might cause illness when bacteria is found within it, or a car accident resulting in injuries might be caused by a defective part in a car.

The most complicated aspect of a product liability case is "causation. " It is the burden of the injured party or "plaintiff" to prove that the injuries were indeed caused by a defective product.

If the injured party has used the product in a way that was not intended, causation will most likely fail SGT-25. An example of this could be someone who removes a part from an electrical product and becomes injured afterward or someone who drinks a product that is not meant for internal use. In the first instance, the plaintiff altered the product after the manufacturer sold it, and in the second instance, the plaintiff ignored the product's warning notice about internal use. The manufacturer in these cases would probably not be found responsible for the injuries.

If an injured party believes that the manufacturer of a product is responsible for his or her injuries, that injured party can file a lawsuit. The responsible parties or "defendants" might include other individuals or companies besides the manufacturer. These can involve an inventor, a distributor or supplier, and/or more than one manufacturer of parts within a product.

In order to prove causation, the plaintiff would probably need to hire a lawyer, who could investigate the facts and perhaps even hire experts to offer their opinions. This would give the plaintiff's lawyer leverage when negotiating a settlement with the insurance companies for the responsible parties.

The settlement is the amount of money that the insurance company offers to the plaintiff to compensate for the injuries. If the plaintiffs and defendants are unable to come to an agreement as to the settlement amount, the case could end up in a courtroom. Lawyers always try to avoid bringing a case to trial because it is more costly for everyone involved. Sometimes, cases will go as far as a jury selection process, however, and the lawyers will settle at the courthouse. This is a type of posturing in an attempt to push the defendants to offer more money or push the plaintiffs to accept the offer that has already been placed on the table.