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Written by Adrianos Facchetti, Esq. · Last updated: November 2026If a defective product injured you in Glendale, a Glendale product liability lawyer can help you hold the manufacturer, distributor or seller responsible. Under California’s strict liability rules, you generally do not have to prove the company was careless, only that the product was defective and caused your injury. You usually have two years from the date of injury to file.
As a Glendale personal injury lawyer since 2006, Adrianos Facchetti helps injured people take on manufacturers, retailers and their insurers. With more than 1,000 injury cases handled, we know how large companies defend these claims, and how to push back.
You pay nothing unless we win. Call (626) 793-8607, answered 24/7. Hablamos español. Falamos português.
What Is Product Liability in California?
Product liability is the area of law that makes companies pay for injuries caused by unsafe products. California was the first state to adopt strict product liability, in the 1963 case Greenman v. Yuba Power Products. The idea is simple: the companies that profit from a product should bear the cost of injuries it causes, not the injured person.
Strict liability means you do not have to prove anyone was negligent. You need to show the product was defective, it was used in a reasonably foreseeable way, and the defect was a substantial factor in causing your harm.
What Are the Three Types of Product Defects?
Design Defects
The product is dangerous because of how it was designed, so every unit carries the same risk. California courts use two tests. Under the consumer expectation test, a design is defective if the product did not perform as safely as an ordinary consumer would expect. Under the risk-benefit test, it is defective if the risks of the design outweigh its benefits.
Manufacturing Defects
The design is safe, but the specific product that hurt you was made wrong. Examples include a cracked part, a contaminated batch or a missing safety component.
Failure to Warn
The product lacked adequate instructions or warnings about risks the company knew or should have known about. A missing warning about overheating, choking hazards or drug side effects can make a company liable.
Who Can Be Sued for a Defective Product?
In California, liability can reach every business in the chain that brought the product to you:
- ●The manufacturer of the product
- ●The maker of a defective part or component
- ●Distributors and wholesalers
- ●Retailers, including stores and car dealers
- ●Some online marketplaces: a California appeals court held in Bolger v. Amazon.com (2020) that Amazon could be strictly liable for a third-party product it handled
You do not have to be the buyer. Users, family members and even bystanders injured by a defective product can bring a claim. If the manufacturer is overseas, a U.S. distributor or seller can often still be held responsible.
How Do You Win a Product Liability Lawsuit?
To win a strict liability claim, you generally must prove:
- 1The defendant made, distributed or sold the product.
- 2The product was defective in design, manufacture or warnings.
- 3You were using it in a reasonably foreseeable way, even if not exactly as intended.
- 4The defect was a substantial factor in causing your harm.
The evidence that wins these cases includes the product itself, its packaging and instructions, your receipt, photos of the product and your injuries, medical records, recall notices, and testing by engineers or other experts.
Do You Need to Prove Negligence in a Product Liability Case?
Not for a strict liability claim. Many cases also include a negligence claim, which requires proving the company failed to use reasonable care in designing, making, testing or warning about the product. Some cases add a breach of warranty claim when the product did not live up to a promise about its quality or safety. Bringing several claims together gives you more than one path to recovery.
How Long Do You Have to File a Product Liability Claim in California?
For personal injuries, you generally have two years from the date of injury (CCP § 335.1). If the link between the product and your injury was not reasonably discoverable right away, the deadline may start later. Breach of warranty claims follow different deadlines.
Evidence disappears fast. Products get thrown away, repaired or returned, so call early.
Hurt by a defective product in Glendale?
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What a Glendale Product Liability Lawyer Does for You
Product cases are fought against large companies with legal teams and engineers of their own. Here is what we handle for you.
Preserve the Product and the Evidence
We secure the product, its packaging and the scene, and make sure nothing is altered before experts can examine it.
Identify Every Company in the Chain
We trace who designed, made, distributed and sold the product, including part makers and online sellers.
Check Recalls and Prior Complaints
We search recall databases from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and NHTSA and look for other injuries from the same product.
Work With Engineers and Experts
Independent experts test the product and explain how the defect caused your injury.
Calculate Your Full Losses
We document medical costs, lost income and the effect on your life, now and in the future.
Negotiate or Go to Trial
We push the companies and their insurers for a fair settlement and prepare every case for trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
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Don’t throw away, repair or return the product, and don’t send it to the manufacturer, before you talk to a lawyer.Keep it with its packaging, instructions and receipt. The product itself is often your most important evidence.
Common Defective Products in Glendale Cases
- ●Vehicle defects: airbags, seat belts, brakes, tires and steering failures, often uncovered after a Glendale car accident
- ●E-bike and scooter batteries: lithium-ion batteries that overheat or catch fire. See our guide to California e-bike laws
- ●Household appliances: pressure cookers, space heaters and other appliances that burn, shock or start fires
- ●Children’s products: cribs, car seats and toys with choking or strangulation hazards
- ●Power tools and equipment: missing guards and blades or parts that fail during use
- ●Medical devices and drugs: defective implants and medications without proper warnings. When a doctor or hospital is also at fault, see our Glendale medical malpractice lawyer page
- ●Food and consumer goods: contaminated food and products with hidden hazards
What Compensation Can You Recover?
- ●Past and future medical bills
- ●Lost wages and lost earning ability
- ●Pain, suffering and emotional distress
- ●Scarring, disfigurement and loss of enjoyment of life
- ●Property damage caused by the defective product
- ●Punitive damages when a company acted with malice, oppression or fraud, such as knowingly hiding a deadly defect
If a defective product caused a death, the family may have a claim too. See our Glendale wrongful death lawyer page.
How Much Is a Product Liability Case Worth?
There is no average. The value depends on the facts of your case. The biggest factors are:
- ●How serious and permanent the injury is
- ●The cost of past and future medical care
- ●Lost income and lost earning ability
- ●How strong the proof of the defect is
- ●Whether the company knew about the danger
- ●Whether you were partly at fault (California reduces the award by your share of fault, but does not bar recovery)
Our results in serious injury cases show how hard we push insurers:
| Result | Case type |
|---|---|
| $5,000,000 | Auto vs. truck crash |
| $1,000,000 | Severe burn injury from hot liquid (policy limits recovered) |
| $1,000,000 | Premises liability |
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. See all case results.
How Much Does a Glendale Product Liability Lawyer Cost?
Nothing upfront. We work on a contingency fee: our fee is a percentage of what we recover, and you owe no attorney’s fee if we don’t win. We explain the percentage and how case costs are handled in writing before you sign anything.
Why Glendale Families Choose Adrianos Facchetti
- ●AV Preeminent: Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer rating for ethics and legal skill
- ●Super Lawyers: Southern California Super Lawyers; Rising Star 2014 to 2016
- ●Proven at trial: in his first trial, the jury awarded his client 10 times the insurer’s last offer
- ●Trained at Pepperdine Law and UCLA; member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
- ●Se habla español · Falamos português
Glendale Product Liability FAQs
Do I need to keep the defective product?
Yes. Keep the product, its packaging, instructions and receipt in a safe place, and do not repair, return or throw it away. The product itself is often the most important evidence.
Can I sue if I didn’t buy the product?
Yes. In California, users, family members and bystanders injured by a defective product can bring a claim, not just the buyer.
Does the product have to be recalled for me to sue?
No. A recall can help prove a defect, but many successful cases involve products that were never recalled.
What if I was partly at fault for the injury?
You can still recover. California reduces the award by your share of fault but does not bar the claim. Unforeseeable misuse of a product can be a defense.
What if the product was made overseas?
You may still have a claim against the U.S. importer, distributor or seller that brought the product to market.
How long does a product liability case take?
Many take one to two years or longer, because they require expert testing and the companies often fight hard. Serious injury cases can take longer.
Do I need to come to an office to hire you?
No. We can meet in person, by phone or by video, whichever is easiest for you.
Talk to a Glendale Product Liability Lawyer Today
You trusted that product to be safe. When it failed, the company that made or sold it should pay for the harm, not you.
Here is what happens when you call:
- 1You reach us right away, day or night. Our line is answered 24/7.
- 2We listen and answer your questions in a free, confidential consultation, in person, by phone or by video.
- 3If we take your case, we secure the product and evidence and start tracking every deadline immediately.
You pay nothing upfront and no attorney’s fee unless we win. Evidence can disappear quickly, so the sooner we start, the stronger your case.
Call (626) 793-8607 or send us a message to schedule your free case review with a Glendale product liability lawyer. Hablamos español. Falamos português.
