Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

DEFECTS in cars and other products make them unsafe for consumers and their families. If the product defects cause injuries, the law provides the injured with a right to recover compensation against the manufacturer or seller.

Through civil actions, consumers can recover the costs of present and future medical care, loss of earnings, and damages for pain and suffering. At times, corporate defendants exhibit gross disregard for public safety, which render them liable to pay punitive damages.

Insurance companies and politicians supported by these companies unfairly criticize these lawsuits as lottery. Lawyers are often blamed. They say these product liability cases are bad for the economy. Nothing is farther from the truth.

The legal remedies protect the lowly consumer against big companies who put profits over the public good. The factual history of the American civil justice system shows how the courage of these consumers and their attorneys who waged these legal fights had advanced the cause of product safety.

For example, lawsuits have influenced changes in the way cars were designed and produced. Consider the following cases compiled by the American Association for Justice:

Tire manufacturers from Firestone to Goodyear tried to cover up problems with defective tires and have been held accountable in civil courts. Firestone’s defective tires caused 271 deaths, and the resulting litigation brought tires and their manufacturers under increased scrutiny.

Several car manufacturers, including GM and Ford, designed defective gas tank placement, which resulted in fires and explosions even in minor collisions. As a result of litigation, gas tanks are now universally located within rigid frames.

Ford’s own engineers identified the problem with its "paddle-style" handles, which allowed the doors to accidentally open in collisions. But rather than fix the design, Ford covered up the problem through red tape, until held accountable in court.