Mesa Product Liability Lawyer

Were you injured by a defective product in Mesa, AZ?

At SL Chapman Trial Lawyers, we are trial-tested product liability lawyers serving clients across the surrounding areas.

If you have been injured by a defective product in Mesa, you may be able to pursue compensation from the manufacturer, the distributor, and the retailer that sold it. These claims require proof of an actual defect, not simply proof that an injury occurred.

Our Mesa, AZ product liability lawyer has litigated product defect claims for more than 30 years, including an eight-figure verdict against a national automaker. We accept these cases on a contingency basis, so there is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation. Contact our office to schedule a free consultation with a member of our team.

Product Liability Lawyer Mesa, AZ

A product liability case is a claim against the companies that designed, built, or sold an item that caused an injury. Arizona recognizes three theories of defect. A design flaw makes every unit in a product line dangerous. A manufacturing error affects a single unit or batch. A failure to warn means the company knew about a risk and did not disclose it.

Arizona employers reported 55,900 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023, and 31,000 of those involved days away from work, job transfer, or restricted duty, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Defective machinery and safety equipment account for a share of those numbers. Liability can reach the manufacturer, the component supplier, the distributor, and the retailer.

Types of Product Liability Cases We Handle in Mesa

Defective products reach consumers through dealerships, retail stores, pharmacies, and job sites. Our Mesa product liability attorneys handle the product defect claims listed below. Each category requires different evidence, different testing, and a different defendant.

• Defective vehicle parts. Airbags that fail to deploy, tires that separate at highway speed, and transmissions that slip out of gear turn survivable crashes into catastrophic ones. We recovered $61,742,200 in a transmission defect case. The vehicle itself is the most important piece of evidence, and we preserve it before it is repaired or scrapped.
• Vehicle fires and rollovers. Fuel system placement, weak roof supports, and seat belt failures cause ejections and burn injuries in collisions that occupants should have survived without serious harm. Our attorneys have litigated design defect claims against automakers for decades. Burn treatment requires years of surgery, and the cost of that future care is frequently the largest element of the claim.
• Dangerous household products. Space heaters, lithium-ion batteries, pressure cookers, and cleaning chemicals injure people who follow the instructions exactly as written. Recalls often arrive months after the first injuries are reported. Connected home devices raise newer questions about responsibility when software fails rather than hardware.
• Defective work equipment. Saws, presses, ladders, and industrial machinery with missing guards or disabled safety interlocks cause amputations and crush injuries. A workers compensation claim does not prevent a separate lawsuit against the equipment manufacturer. We recovered $2,500,000 for a client who suffered an amputation injury.
• Defective medical devices. Implants, filters, and surgical mesh can migrate, fracture, or corrode after implantation, and revision surgery carries its own risks. Our firm has handled IVC filter and transvaginal mesh claims.
• Dangerous drugs and chemicals. Labels that omit known side effects and exposure risks lead to cancers, organ damage, and respiratory injury. We have litigated Roundup and Zantac cases against chemical and pharmaceutical companies.
• Defective toys and children’s products. Small detachable parts, strangulation hazards, and furniture that tips over injure children in their own homes. Damages in a child’s case include future medical care and lost earning capacity over a full lifetime.
• Third party liability claims. A defective product frequently injures someone who never purchased it, including bystanders, passengers, and workers on a job site. Those claims proceed against the manufacturer even though the injured person had no contract with anyone.

Why Choose SL Chapman Trial Lawyers as my Product Liability Lawyer in Mesa, AZ?

Proven Results in Product Defect Litigation

Our firm has recovered more than $1.5 billion for injured clients. Product cases account for a significant share of that record:

• $100,000,000 for a product defect
• $61,742,200 for a product defect involving a transmission
• $46,750,000 for toxic exposure causing permanent respiratory injuries
• $2,500,000 for an amputation injury

Attorneys Who Try Product Cases

Bradley M. Lakin has practiced civil litigation since 1997 and concentrates on product liability, complex litigation, and mass tort. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers and named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers. One of his jury verdicts, $43 million for two burn victims in a product liability suit against Ford Motor Company, was the second largest verdict in Illinois that year. 

Alan Starker has spent more than 35 years on catastrophic injury cases, including claims against saw, tool-and-die, tire-changing machine, truck, and school bus manufacturers, along with litigation over vehicle rollovers and airbag failures. Robert W. Schmieder II handles catastrophic personal injury and product liability matters. Our attorneys have tried product cases to verdict in both state and federal court. That depth of trial experience is what a client should expect from a personal injury lawyer in Mesa, AZ pursuing a claim against a national manufacturer.

Understanding Product Liability Cases

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Product Liability Cases

Arizona allows recovery under strict liability, negligence, and breach of warranty. Strict liability is the most direct of the three, because it does not require proof that the company acted carelessly, only that the product was defective and that the defect caused the injury. Fault can still be divided between the parties. Under Arizona’s comparative negligence rule, a recovery is reduced by the injured person’s own percentage of fault, and shared fault is a standard defense argument in product cases.

Damages generally fall into these categories:

• Past and future medical treatment, including surgery, rehabilitation, and assistive equipment
• Lost income and reduced earning capacity over a working lifetime
• Pain, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life
• Economic and non-economic losses proven through records and testimony
• Wrongful death damages when a defective product kills a family member

The value of a claim depends on the severity of the injury, the treatment still required, and how clearly the defect can be demonstrated. A traumatic brain injury or a spinal cord injury caused by a defective product can require attendant care, home modifications, and equipment replacement for decades, and those figures are calculated by economists and life care planners.

What Are Important Aspects of a Product Liability Case?

Product liability claims depend on technical evidence that becomes harder to obtain as time passes. The following considerations shape the outcome of most cases.

• Preservation. The product, its packaging, and its manual must be kept exactly as they were after a product injury.
• Recall history. CPSC recall notices and the NHTSA recall database show whether the defect was already known to the company.
• Engineering analysis. A qualified engineer inspects the product, tests safer alternative designs, and explains the defect to a jury in plain terms.
• Chain of distribution. Manufacturers, component suppliers, distributors, and retailers can each carry liability for the same defect.
• Filing deadlines. Arizona’s two-year deadline applies to product claims, and a separate product liability statute bars most cases brought more than twelve years after the product was first sold, with exceptions for negligence and express warranty.

What Is The Product Liability Case Timeline?

These cases take longer than a routine injury claim because the defect must be established through testing and engineering testimony. A typical case moves through the following stages:

• Investigation and preservation of the product, generally within the first several weeks
• Inspection and comparative or destructive testing by a qualified engineer
• Filing suit and written discovery, including the manufacturer’s internal design files and complaint records
• Depositions of engineers, corporate representatives, and treating physicians
• Mediation or settlement negotiation
• Trial, when the manufacturer refuses to pay fair value

Most product cases resolve within one to three years. Complex defect litigation against a large manufacturer can run longer, particularly when the company appeals.

What Should You Bring to Your Product Liability Consultation?

Documentation from the incident allows us to evaluate the claim accurately during the first meeting. The following items are the most useful:

• The product itself, along with its packaging, receipts, and owner’s manual
• Photographs of the product and of the injuries
• Medical records and bills related to treatment
• The incident report, police report, or employer injury report
• Any correspondence from the manufacturer, the retailer, or an insurance company

The consultation is free and generally takes about an hour. We will explain whether a viable claim exists, what the claim will require, and what the next step involves. If we accept the case, we begin preserving evidence immediately and place the manufacturer on notice of its own duty to do the same.

Reach Out to SL Chapman Trial Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation

Product liability claims depend on evidence that manufacturers, repair shops, and employers routinely discard. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with a Mesa product liability attorney. We handle these claims on a contingency basis, which means no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. Consultations are available by telephone or at our office, and there is no obligation to retain us afterward.