If you’ve been injured by a defective product, you have a right to take legal action and pursue compensation to relieve you of your injuries. One of the first steps in filing a defective product claim is to name your defendants, which requires you to look at the product’s chain of distribution.
MANUFACTURER
The manufacturer is the first link in the product’s chain of distribution and can range in size – from a small locally-owned manufacturing company to a large multinational or international corporation. If the dangerous product is a small part of a larger product, you'll want to name both the manufacturer of the defective part and the whole product as defendants. For example, if you were injured by an exploding car battery, you would hold the battery’s manufacturer and the car’s manufacturer accountable.
RETAILER
You can hold the store that sold you the dangerous product liable. It’s important to understand, however, that this isn’t a question of choosing one defendant over the other. You can name multiple parties as defendants in your product liability claim. You can also hold the retailer responsible if you were injured by a defective product that someone else was using.
WHOLESALER/DISTRIBUTOR
After the product is manufactured and before you purchase it from a store, there are a number of wholesalers and distributors who act as the “middlemen.” Because of their participation and involvement in the creation of the defective produce, they may be held liable for your injuries.
If you’ve been injured by a defective product, you should not hesitate to begin building your case with a dedicated Tulsa product liability lawyer by your side. At Richardson Richardson Boudreaux, PLLC, our attorneys are trial-tested and have recovered million dollars for injured victims. Call us today at 918-492-7674 to request your free initial consultation.