Sometimes the manufacturers of products make defective ones. Sometimes these defective products slip past governmental bodies set to ensure high standards such as the FDA. When this happens, there are usually lawsuits, and these lawsuits result in the producers of these products being sued. As well as manufacturers having to pay hefty fines, they can also be shut down if they broke the law.
In this article, we have detailed the 5 biggest defective product lawsuits to have taken place in the United States that we know about to date. Here’s everything we know, so you can be more enlightened as to how much you might get if you have to sue a product manufacturer.
The 5 biggest defective product lawsuits in the United States of America
Here are the five biggest defective product lawsuits in the USA according to Andy Gillin from Gjel.
1 – Philip Morris, Tobacco Manufacturer
All the way back in 2002, Philip Morris, tobacco manufacturer, gave a woman cancer. It was back in the days when we weren’t aware that smoking really did cause cancer directly. When it was ascertained that the cigarettes were the cause, the judge fined them a whopping $28 million in damages. Legend has it that it was originally $28 billion but that a later appeal reduced it.
2 – Johnson and Johnson
In 2019, Johnston and Johnston had a terrible year. Not only was it found that their products contained cancer causing elements, but they were also found guilty of being liable during the American opioid crisis. The judge fined them $572 million for their part in the crisis. This was later reduced to $465 million.
3 – The Hot Coffee Case
Everyone laughed when McDonald’s were sued for their coffee being too hot back in 1992. However, what they didn’t know is that the 79-year-old woman who was burned by it was left with horrific scarring down her legs. The representatives of the corporation admitted that the coffee was beyond 145 degrees Celsius. This is far beyond the limits of being safe for human consumption. The corporation dragged the case out for years and, although she settled for less than a million, it remains one of the best examples of faulty products to date.
4 – General Motors
In 2004, General Motors designed a faulty ignition switch which resulted in an estimated 124 deaths and 300 injuries. They were eventually ordered to pay out more than $900 million in injury compensation to the affected parties. It is estimated their switches were included in over 30 million cars before they were fined.
5 – Monsanto
One of the most famous defective product cases is that of Monsanto. They were sued for $10.9 billion as a result of their product: Roundup. The weedkiller both caused cancer and was killing bees by the masses. Monsanto knew that their product would do both these things and they continued to sell it. They deserved everything they got.
