http://www.wesh.com/news/25836004/detail.html "A local family is suing the maker of Four Loko, saying the drink played a role in their son's death. Two months ago, Florida State University student Jason Keiran, 20, guzzled the malt beverage and then played with a gun." Yep, definitely the beverage's fault. "Keran's father, who lives in Winter Park, said the drink kept him awake when he should've passed out drunk -- he then accidentally shot himself." Let's just admire this wisdom for a moment.
The parents passed on bad genes...they should take responsibility for their defective progeny... There is just too much stupid in the world for even Darwin to clean up...
I seriously cannot believe parents would argue that if their underage son drank enough to pass out, he wouldn't have accidentally shot himself. What would they do, go after Four or any other company if he did pas out drunk, but choked on his own vomit? Would turn into a "if only they put more caffeine in, he wouldn't have passed out" argument.
We used to have a thriving motorcycle helmet industry here but it got sued out of existence...in some cases no helmet even existed but Bell got sued anyway....
How does the production location of a product prevent or encourage a product liability lawsuit? It would seem on the surface that the US distribution company has equal personal injury liability exposure no matter where the product is produced. Is it not the free market and lower cost of production in Korea and China that transferred production outside of the US?
its an honest to goodness industry now. 1800axegary sponsors an amphitheater in Tampa. Buys millions of $$$ worth of ad time on TV/Radio. Its crazy.
Defense of product liability actions and regulatory compliance are built into the cost of all goods and services regardless of where they are manufactured. The cost of litigation is certainly a consideration in relocation of manufacturing.
And nobody here has made a false statement, claimed something that wasn't true or gave an account to the police or an insurance agency that would put them in a better light for financial gain?
I tell everyone to watch this movie. I honestly believe we aren't that far away from it. The first five minutes alone explains so much. Ow my ballz!
Product liability. Insurance. Legal fees. Workers compensation. The works. Why? Are you willing to put forth an argument that manufacturers do not include the potential cost of litigation or regulatory compliance in their decision making process?
In a real effort to keep this statement from going political I say this. You're right. The juries are filled by idiots that have the stupid idea that all those "big companies" need to pay out the nose for anything that happens to us "little people."
As far as Product Liability goes, production location has no relationship on it's cost. The Product Liability is related to location where product is sold. For example if someone wants to bring a lawsuit against Scorpion Helmets, they file in their location or Orange County, CA. The lawsuit location is not required to be moved to China. The same goes for Arai Helmets out of Daytona Beach, FL. and other helmet manufacturers with US distribution. The Product Liability cost and actions are based on the location of sale. Businesses choice of transferring production from the US to a lower cost location is based on the free market. If the product can be produced for less cost outside the US, the opportunity for more profit or to lower the price to increase sales volume is the primary driving factor. As far as cost of product liability, that will not change if the item is produced in the US or in another location, assuming the production quality is exactly the same.