Strict Liability Definition

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A legal theory that doesn't require a showing of negligence or intent to cause harm to establish liability. Legal responsibility follows simply from doing (or failing to do) a particular act.

For example, strict liability is a legal theory often used in product liability lawsuits. A product manufacturer can be held strictly liable for harms resulting from intended or foreseeable uses of a product that's defective and unreasonably dangerous. The injured person doesn't have to prove that the manufacturer negligently designed or made the product.

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