$2.8 Million
Settlement · Product Liability · 2021
Defective component failed under normal use
Los Angeles County, CA
Case summary
Failure analysis identified a manufacturing defect present in a production run. Recall correspondence obtained in discovery showed the manufacturer knew of prior field failures before our client was injured.
Case at a glance
Injuries: Severe burns and permanent scarring.
- Defendant
- Component manufacturer
- Key issue
- Manufacturing defect and prior notice
- Resolution
- Settled after expert disclosure
- Time to resolution
- 23 months
The challenge
The manufacturer blamed misuse and argued the product met all applicable standards.
How we built it
- Metallurgical failure analysis isolated the defect to one production run
- Discovery produced internal correspondence about earlier field failures
- Warnings expert addressed the adequacy of the misuse defense
The outcome
The claim resolved shortly after expert disclosure, with the field-failure correspondence driving the number.
How the case moved
Retained
Two months after the injury
Testing
Joint inspection of the failed component
Settlement
Resolved before dispositive motions
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is decided on its own facts, venue, and available insurance coverage.
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