Portland Defective Product Attorney
Defective products affect thousands of people in the United States every year, from young children to patients and blue-collar workers. Manufacturers, designers, and retailers have a responsibility to make sure their products are reasonably safe for consumer use. Unfortunately, some of these professionals push products onto the shelf without proper safety testing, which puts consumers at risk for severe injury.
When you need a Portland defective product attorney, you can count on our team to help you get through this process. We want to step in and investigate your claim, handle communication with other parties, and work to recover the compensation you are entitled to.
Why Choose Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC?
When you sustain an injury caused by the negligent actions of another company or manufacturer, you need to turn to a team with extensive experience handling complex injury claims. At Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC, we have an extensive track record of success in helping clients recover compensation through settlements and jury verdicts.
Voted by US News “Best Law Firms” for product liability litigation, our firm has a thorough understanding of defective product cases and knows how to handle them successfully to benefit our clients and prevent injuries in the future.
Portland Defective Product Resources
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Meet Jane Paulson
Notable Defective Product Case Results
Benefits of Hiring an Attorney
Types of Product Liability Cases
How Products Become Defective
Potential Compensation in Your Case
Who Can Be Liable for Your Injuries?
How Long Do You Have to File a Claim?
What is Strict Liability?
What Must Be Proven to Win a Product Liability Claim?
How We Can Help
Paying for a Product Liability Attorney
Areas We Serve
Speak to a Lawyer Today
Meet Product Defect Attorney Jane Paulson
Jane Paulson is a Partner with Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC. As an experienced product liability lawyer, she is able to represent victims who have suffered harm in either Oregon or the state of Washington. Jane is actively involved in her local Portland community, at one point serving on the boards of the Campaign for Equal Justice, the PSU Hatfield School of Government’s Center for Women’s Leadership, and Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East.
Jane Paulson and fellow Partner John Coletti work together closely on cases, combining their experience so that clients receive the benefit of their shared legal knowledge. You can trust in our legal team to handle every aspect of your case, so you can focus all of your energy on recovering from your injuries.
Notable Defective Product Case Results
We have successfully recovered millions of dollars for our product liability clients, including:
- $12.1 million verdict against the manufacturer of a defective lathe which caused a young man’s death
- $5.475 million verdict for the victim of injuries caused by a defective pain medication pump
- $3.5 million settlement for the family of a young boy who suffered a serious brain injury after falling on a defective toy
- $3 million verdict for a heavy equipment operator crushed and killed by a defective road grader.
Benefits of Hiring a Portland Defective Product Attorney
If you have been injured by a dangerous product, you will likely benefit from consulting with an experienced defective product lawyer. Filing a claim against a manufacturer or large company can be complex and difficult. Your lawyer will be able to determine who is liable for your injuries, calculate the approximate amount of damages you suffered, and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. We are fully prepared to take your case all the way to trial if doing so offers the best chance of securing justice on your behalf.
Types of Product Liability Cases We Handle
Our team handles a wide range of types of product liability claims. If we examine the government website devoted to tracking recalls, we can see that there are a wide range of products that can become defective and cause harm to consumers. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Motor vehicles
- Auto parts
- Medications
- Cosmetics
- Toys
- Shampoos and soaps
- Foods and beverages
- Environmental products
- Appliances
- Construction materials
- Tools
- Pools and pool supplies
- Electronic devices
This is certainly not a complete list of the types of products that could malfunction and cause harm. If you or a loved one have been injured due to a defective product, we encourage you to reach out to an attorney for assistance with your claim immediately.
How Products Become Defective
Products can become defective in a number of ways. In general, we see three main types of product defects, but these are categories that cover a larger number of issues that can occur.
- Design defects. Product designs should be thoroughly tested before the product goes into mass manufacturing for consumers. If there is an issue with a product design, such as an incorrect chemical formula or a medication or missing guards for a tool, consumers could sustain injuries, and this type of defect can affect an entire line of the product.
- Manufacturing defects. Manufacturing defects can make even well-designed products unsafe for consumers. It is not uncommon for products to go through multiple stages of manufacturing, sometimes not even at the same location. Anytime there is an error somewhere on the manufacturing line of a product, this can lead to the product becoming defective. In general, manufacturing defects do not affect entire product lines, but they can still affect many products.
- Marketing defects. Marketing defects do not necessarily deal with the product itself but rather the labeling that consumers depend on. Regardless of the type of product you purchased, there will likely be some type of label giving educational material related to the use or consumption. For example, there may be ingredient lists, side effects, warnings, instructions, dosage information, and more. If any of this information is incorrect or missing, consumers may not know how to properly use the product.
What Types of Compensation May be Available in Your Case?
Defective products are capable of causing serious injuries, and with those wounds come significant bills for ongoing medical care and rehabilitation. Our goal is always to secure sufficient compensation to make you as whole as possible after your accident. Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may be awarded some combination of economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.
- Economic damages refers to compensation for objectively verifiable monetary losses stemming from your accident. Our Portland defective product attorney works with medical and economical experts to gather hospital records, bills, and receipts to calculate damages such as:
- Emergency room, hospital, or doctor’s office bills
- Lost wages if you are unable to work
- Prescription medications
- Property damage costs
- Rehabilitation or physical therapy expenses
- The expenses of vehicle or home modifications
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Non-economic damages refers to compensation for subjective, non-financial losses you suffered as a result of your injury. It can be more challenging to determine the value of non-economic damages occurring in a product liability incident, but they are essential to consider. Non-economic damages can compensate you for the unseen injuries you suffered in your accident. These damages can include:
- Loss of consortium
- Emotional or psychological distress
- Physical pain or suffering
- Reduced quality of life or reduced enjoyment of life
- Punitive damages are awarded when the liable party acted with malice or reckless and outrageous disregard for the safety of others. These damages are used to deter future behavior that puts people at unacceptable risk of harm. Punitive damages are less common that economic or non-economic damages, as the plaintiff must prove the defendant’s malicious or willfully reckless conduct.
How Much Compensation is Available?
There is no exact or set amount of compensation paid to product liability victims if their claim is successful. Rather, each particular case must be examined specifically by insurance carriers or a personal injury jury. There are various factors that could influence total settlement or jury verdict amounts, including the following:
- The severity of the injuries
- How long it takes a victim to recover
- The level of any property damage
If you have any questions about how much your case is worth, we encourage you to speak to your product liability lawyer in Portland who can give you a ballpark understanding of what to expect.
Who Can Be Held Liable for Injuries Caused by a Defective Product?
According to ORS § 30.900 et seq., the manufacturer, seller, distributor, or lessor of a dangerously defective product may be liable for injuries, deaths, or property damage caused by the following:
- Manufacturing, inspection, designing, testing, or other product defects
- Failure to warn regarding a product
- Failure to offer complete and accurate instructions regarding a product’s use
How Long Do You Have to File a Claim?
In most cases, the statute of limitations to file a personal injury claim in the state of Oregon is two years from the date of your accident or injury. Cases must usually be filed within ten years after purchasing the product. In a Portland wrongful death lawsuit, a claim must generally be filed within three years of the fatal accident and ten years of the product’s purchase. It’s possible that unique conditions may apply to the statute of limitations in your unique case, so it’s best to seek the assistance of an experienced attorney as soon as possible. They can help you assess your legal options in more specific detail.
What is Strict Liability for a Defective Product Case?
Most injury claims involve determining the negligence of an alleged at-fault party. However, product liability claims typically fall under the theory of strict liability. This is a legal concept that holds sellers, distributors, and manufacturers responsible for any injuries caused by a product found to be defective, regardless of whether or not there was any negligence during the design, production, or distribution process of the product.
For a strict liability claim, it will need to be shown that:
- The product was defective
- The injury victim used the product in its intended manner
- The defective product caused injury or property damage
- The victim sustained some sort of monetary loss as a result of the injuries or property damage
Not every product liability claim will be a strict liability case. Some defective product cases may revolve around negligence, which means the victim and their legal team will have to show that the other party was to blame for the defect and the injuries.
Regardless of whether a case revolves around the theory of strict liability or negligence, it is crucial to work with a product liability lawyer in Portland with the resources you need to get through this. Not every attorney has experience handling complex claims against larger companies, but the team at Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC is ready to help.
What Must Be Proven to Win a Product Liability Claim?
To win a product liability claim in the state of Oregon, your attorney must be prepared to prove:
- That the defendant manufactured, sold, or distributed the product that harmed you;
- That the product in question was unreasonably dangerous and defective;
- and that the product was not modified before being transferred to you.
Your lawyer will additionally need to prove that the product used defective materials, was based on a dangerous design, was manufactured incorrectly, or had inadequate labels and warnings.
Paulson Coletti: Uniquely Equipped to Handle Product Liability Cases
Our team at Paulson Coletti has over 100 years of combined legal experience. From defective appliances to auto product liability lawsuits in Portland, we are prepared to take on your case. Our ability to offer clients instructive help and effective advocacy in product liability cases is demonstrated by our track record. Not only is our firm listed in “Best Law Firms” for plaintiffs product liability litigation, Attorney John Coletti is a two-time winner of the Lawyer of the Year award in the Product Liability Litigation category from The Best Lawyers in America®.
Paying for a Product Liability Attorney
At Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC, we understand the challenges victims face in these situations, which is why we handle product liability claims on a contingency fee basis. This means a few things for our clients. First, individuals who come to us for help will not be responsible for paying any upfront costs related to their case. We handle all of that. Additionally, clients will pay no legal fees until after we successfully recover the compensation they are entitled to. The final legal fee will be a previously agreed-upon percentage of that settlement or verdict.
In the event our team is unable to successfully recover compensation, the client will pay no legal fees at all, and they will not have to pay us back for anything already spent on their case.
Areas We Serve
We serve areas across Portland, including but not limited to:
Arlington Heights, Forest Park, Goose Hollow, Hillside, Linnton, Northwest District, Old Town, Pearl District, Downtown, Sylvan – Highlands, Arnold Creek, Ashcreek, Bridlemile, Collins View, Crestwood, Far Southwest, Hayhurst, Hillsdale, Homestead, Marshall Park, Multnomah, South Burlingame, South Portland, Southwest Hills, West Portland Park, Arbor Lodge, Bridgeton, Cathedral Park, East Columbia, Piedmont, Portsmouth, St Johns, University Park, Alameda, Concordia, Eliot, Lloyd District, Cully, Hollywood, Rose City Park, Hazelwood, Parkrose Heights, Pleasant Valley, Woodland Park, Brooklyn, Eastmoreland, Kerns, Laurelhurst, Montavilla, North Tabor, Richmond, Sunnyside, Woodstock.
Contact a Portland Product Liability Lawyer Today
If you or somebody you care about has been injured due to a defective product anywhere in the Portland area, reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. A product liability lawyer will have the resources and experience you need to get through this process. An attorney can conduct a complete investigation into the incident, handle all communication with insurance carriers and other parties, and negotiate on your behalf.
To learn more about our unique approach, please call our Portland personal injury lawyers to set up a free case evaluation today.