Tempe Product Liability Lawyer

Recognized product liability representation for injured clients throughout Tempe, AZ and the surrounding area. 

Our Tempe, AZ product liability lawyer at SL Chapman Trial Lawyers has spent more than 30 years going up against those defenses and winning. We know how to investigate product failures, establish what went wrong, and build cases that hold manufacturers accountable. Contact us when you’re ready to talk through your situation.

Product Liability Lawyer Tempe, AZ

In most negligence cases, the injured party has to show that someone acted carelessly. Product liability cases can be different. Under strict liability principles, a manufacturer, distributor, or seller can be held responsible for a defective product that causes harm regardless of whether they were careless in any traditional sense. If the product was defective and someone got hurt because of it, liability may attach.

That said, these cases are rarely simple. There are three main categories of product defects: design defects, where the product was inherently unsafe as conceived; manufacturing defects, where something went wrong during production; and marketing defects, sometimes called failure to warn, where the product lacked adequate instructions or safety warnings. Each requires a different kind of investigation and a different evidentiary approach. A Tempe product liability attorney who has handled these claims across multiple defect categories brings a meaningful advantage from the start.

Types of Product Liability Cases We Handle in Tempe

We represent injured clients across a wide range of defective product claims in Tempe and the surrounding area. Below is a look at the cases we handle.

• Defective vehicles and auto parts. A faulty airbag, a tire that shouldn’t have left the factory, a transmission that fails at highway speed. These defects can turn survivable car accidents into fatal ones. When a vehicle defect is involved, the case has two tracks: the collision itself and the product failure underneath it. We investigate both.
• Dangerous drugs and pharmaceuticals. A medication that wasn’t adequately tested, improperly labeled, or contaminated during manufacturing can cause serious and lasting harm. The pharmaceutical company knows what it knew when it put that drug on the market. Getting to that information requires litigation, and we know how to pursue it.
• Defective medical devices. When an implanted device fails, the patient often doesn’t find out until something goes wrong inside their body. The corrective treatment can be as serious as the original condition. We’ve handled serious injury and wrongful death product liability claims involving medical devices and understand the medical complexity these cases require.
• Dangerous consumer products. Appliances, power tools, furniture, children’s toys — defects in everyday products cause burns, lacerations, electrocution, and worse every year.
• Defective workplace equipment. When an industrial saw, press, or conveyor malfunctions and injures a worker, the equipment manufacturer may be liable separate from any workers’ compensation claim. These injuries tend to be severe. Spinal cord damage, amputations, and crush injuries are not uncommon outcomes, and the damages reflect that.
• Defective children’s products. Car seats, cribs, strollers, and toys are subject to federal safety standards for a reason. When a manufacturer rushes a product to market or ignores known hazards, children get hurt. We take these cases seriously because the stakes are as high as they get.
• Pool and waterslide design defects. Poorly designed recreational equipment causes drownings, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries. Alan Starker has litigated these exact claims and understands how manufacturers defend them and where those defenses fall apart.

Why Choose SL Chapman Trial Lawyers for Product Liability in Tempe, AZ?

Attorneys With a Specific Record in Defective Product Cases

Alan Starker has dedicated more than 35 years to plaintiff-side advocacy, with a practice that is particularly deep in product liability. He has litigated against truck manufacturers, school bus manufacturers, saw and tool-and-die producers, tire-changing machine makers, and companies whose vehicles rolled over or whose airbags failed. He has also handled design defect litigation involving pools and waterslides. That breadth of product liability experience is not common. When a defective product case involves technical questions about engineering, design standards, or manufacturing processes, his background matters.

Bradley M. Lakin has been practicing civil litigation since 1997 and has secured some of the most significant product liability verdicts the firm has achieved. He obtained a $43.7 million verdict in a case involving a vehicle fire caused by a product defect, a result that ranked among the top verdicts nationally that year. The National Trial Lawyers recognized him as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer, and he has earned Super Lawyer recognition repeatedly. Robert W. Schmieder II handles complex civil litigation including catastrophic product liability matters where the injuries are severe and the defendants well-resourced.

As your personal injury lawyer in Tempe, AZ, we approach product liability cases the way these defendants approach their defense: with resources, preparation, and a willingness to go to trial.

Results in Product Liability Cases

Our firm’s case results in product liability include a $100 million verdict in a product defect case and a $61.7 million verdict involving a defective transmission. Those results reflect what it takes to go up against major manufacturers and win. We handle these cases on a contingency basis, so there are no upfront fees and you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

What Is Important to Understand About a Product Liability Case?

Damages, Liability, and Compensation

Product liability cases in Arizona can produce substantial damage recoveries. Economic damages cover medical treatment, surgeries, rehabilitation, future care needs, lost income, and reduced earning capacity. Non-economic damages address pain and suffering, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. In cases involving egregious corporate conduct, punitive damages may also be available, which is one reason major manufacturers fight these cases so hard.

Understanding economic vs. non-economic damages in a product liability context is important because the injuries in these cases are often severe. A defective product doesn’t just cause a bruise. It causes burns, amputations, traumatic brain injuries, and death. The damages have to reflect that reality.

Arizona applies a comparative fault framework under A.R.S. § 12-2505. Manufacturers often argue that the injured party misused the product or ignored warnings. How those arguments are countered, and how fault is ultimately allocated, can significantly affect the outcome.

Key elements of a product liability claim:

• The product must have been defective in design, manufacturing, or labeling
• The defect must have existed when the product left the manufacturer’s control
• The defect must have caused the injury
• Strict liability may apply, meaning carelessness does not have to be proven

What Makes These Cases Challenging

Product liability defendants are typically large companies. They have engineering teams, litigation departments, and years of experience defending these claims. They will argue that the product met applicable safety standards, that the injured party misused it, or that the injury would have occurred regardless of the alleged defect. Countering those arguments requires technical investigation, careful documentation, and, often, independent analysis of the product itself.

After getting hurt by a defective product, taking these steps can help protect your claim for compensation:

• Preserve the defective product exactly as it was after the incident. Do not repair, return, or discard it. That product is your evidence.
• Document your injuries with photographs and seek medical treatment immediately.
• Keep packaging, instructions, and any receipts or purchase records related to the product.
• Note when to take action after a product injury, because evidence degrades and witnesses move on.

The Case Timeline

Product liability cases are often among the more involved personal injury matters, particularly when they require technical investigation or involve multiple defendants.

• Product investigation. We retain consultants to examine the product, review design specifications, and identify the defect and its cause.
• Demand or filing. Depending on the strength of early evidence, we may demand settlement or proceed directly to filing suit.
• Discovery. This phase involves depositions, document production, and exchange of technical evidence. Manufacturer documents produced in discovery can be critical.
• Resolution or trial. Many product liability cases settle during or after discovery. We prepare every case for trial so the defendant knows we are ready to go.

Arizona’s statute of limitations for personal injury is two years from the date of injury, per A.R.S. § 12-542. Missing that deadline generally bars the claim permanently.

What to Bring to Your Consultation

A few things help us evaluate your case from the start:

• The defective product itself, preserved in its post-incident condition
• Any packaging, instructions, or warnings that came with it
• Medical records documenting your injuries
• Photos of the product, the defect, and your injuries
• Purchase records or receipts if available

You don’t need everything organized before you reach out. We’ll tell you what we need after we hear the facts.

What Are Important Arizona Legal Resources for Product Liability Cases?

Arizona law and several federal agencies govern product safety and the rights of people injured by defective products. Below are resources for understanding the legal framework.

• Arizona’s two-year statute of limitations for personal injury is codified at A.R.S. § 12-542, available through the Arizona Legislature’s official website.
• Arizona’s comparative fault statute, which applies when multiple parties share responsibility for an injury, is available at A.R.S. § 12-2505.
• The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission maintains recall databases and safety standards for consumer products sold in the United States.
• The FDA’s medical device database provides information on device approvals, safety communications, and recalls relevant to defective medical device claims.
• NHTSA’s vehicle recall database tracks open and resolved safety recalls for vehicles, tires, and automotive equipment.
• The City of Tempe maintains local government information relevant to jurisdiction and public safety matters in product-related incidents.

Reach Out to SL Chapman Trial Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation

If a defective product has hurt you or someone in your family, we’re ready to review what happened. Product liability cases move on evidence, and that evidence needs to be preserved now. Contact us to get started. There are no upfront fees, and we only get paid if we recover compensation for you.