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A product liability claim or lawsuit seeks to hold a product manufacturer, distributor, or seller responsible for harms caused by a product that:
is carelessly designed, manufactured, or labeled
doesn't live up to the terms of a warranty or guarantee, or
is defective and unreasonably dangerous when put to an intended or foreseeable use.
Product liability claims can be grounded in a variety of legal theories, including negligence, breach of warranty, and strict liability. Strict liability is a particularly effective theory because it doesn't require the plaintiff (the injured party who files a lawsuit) to prove that the defendant (a party who gets sued, like a manufacturer) was negligent or otherwise at fault. The defendant's fault results from introducing a defective and unreasonably dangerous product into the "stream of commerce."