Product Liability
Sapientia’s lawyers have extensive experience defending manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in personal injury, wrongful death and property damage matters throughout the United States. We have defended a wide array of products, ranging from environmental control systems and alarm systems, to pharmaceutical and medical device products, to industrial and agricultural equipment, to consumer products such as space heaters, smoke detectors and clothes dryers, and chemicals and toxic torts. Our familiarity with the state and federal courts around the country reduces the need for our clients to train local counsel on each case. Our lawyers have repeatedly gotten claims against their manufacturer clients dismissed on summary judgment, and they have a winning record in those cases that have been tried and arbitrated. Our product liability lawyers have also defeated every attempt by opposing plaintiffs to obtain punitive damages against our clients.
Our litigation team partners with manufacturing clients at every stage of product liability assessment and defense:
- We assist manufacturing clients in revising existing product literature and developing new product literature by reviewing installation/operating instructions, warnings and warranties from a litigation standpoint, for clarity and completeness.
- We counsel clients at the pre-litigation claim stage by advising on document retention and preservation of evidence issues, attending site and product inspections, retaining or advising on the selection of internal or outside liability and causation experts, and developing exit strategies for each claim to limit client exposure.
- As regional or national litigation counsel for manufacturers, we work with clients to develop substantive defense strategies as well as litigation management plans to achieve optimal use of client resources and efficient, effective use of outside counsel. We assist our clients’ litigation managers in developing appropriate litigation budgets and reserves for each case and for cumulative product-line exposure.
- We have tried numerous cases, but also recognize the value of early dispositive motions and creative approaches to alternative dispute resolution. Our goal is client satisfaction, and we accept that business considerations often require a change in strategy as a matter progresses.
Sapientia’s core values are particularly suited to clients with product-liability matters because our adaptable billing arrangements can be tailored to single or multiple claims, can complement client financial cycles or budgeting requirements, can include financial incentives for early dispositions or trial successes, and generally align Sapientia’s financial interest with that of each client. As a medium-sized firm, Sapientia is also free from the extensive overhead and substantial bureaucracy that burdens larger firms. This experience and collective wisdom on how best to manage and defend product liability claims makes Sapientia an excellent choice for manufacturers seek ing top-notch representation on product-related claims.