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Who Should Be Held Responsible For A Defective Product?

Product liability is when a manufacturer or seller is being held liable for placing a defective and unreasonably dangerous product into the hands of a consumer.

If a product defect causes injury, the responsibility falls on the sellers of the product. The law requires that no product should cause injury when used in a foreseeable manner or even if it is misused in a reasonably foreseeable manner. Similarly, a manufacturer who sells an unreasonably dangerous product is not entitled to expect others to make it safe (buyers and users). Liability for a product defect could include any party in the product’s chain of distribution for instance:

  • The product manufacturer
  • A manufacturer of component parts
  • A party that assembles or installs the product
  • The wholesaler
  • The retail store that sold the product

Victims of product injuries should be supported after suffering the consequences arising from the negligent actions of liable companies.
Read More: What is Product Liability?

What Does A Product Liability Lawyer Do?

An experienced product liability lawyer can help you figure out exactly who is responsible for your injuries and how a claim should be managed from the date of the incident through recovery.

Handling claims of serious and even minor injuries can be complicated and it involves contact with numerous entities, including insurance companies, employers, and medical providers.

Defective products claim thousands of lives every year in addition to causing injury to thousands of people each year in Wisconsin.
Read More: What is Wisconsin Product Liability Law?

Should I Hire A Product Liability Lawyer?

If you have been injured by a defective product, get the guidance you need from an experienced product liability lawyer to help you navigate the unfamiliar legal territory. A product liability lawyer can help you get the compensation you deserve and prevent the product from injuring other people.

Attorney Timothy S. Trecek

Milwaukee, West Bend

In 2020, as lead trial counsel, Tim Trecek obtained a $38.1 million verdict against Hyundai Motor Company, for a defectively designed seat back and head restraint system in his client’s 2013 Hyundai Elantra (see news story). The verdict is the largest single-plaintiff compensatory award in Wisconsin history. The verdict included $7.77 million for the plaintiff’s spouse, another record for Wisconsin verdicts. Based on the significance of his 2020 verdict, Tim was honored to receive the Robert L. Habush, Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, the second time being recognized with said award. He was also awarded The Litigation Counsel of America’s Tommy Malone Outstanding Verdict Award, an honor bestowed upon one attorney in the US whose verdict is extraordinary in amount or significance.

Although he was born, raised, and works in southeastern Wisconsin, Tim has earned a national reputation as a successful plaintiff’s trial lawyer. Tim’s successes have been so noteworthy that they have been chronicled in papers such as the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the Fort Worth Star Telegram, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle and dozens of other publications.

View Timothy’s Full Bio