Recent AAJ Studies Show The Affect Of Dangerous Products

In the middle of November, the American Association for Justice , along with American University’s Washington College of Law, released two studies concerning the effect of dangerous products on society. Each of the studies pointed out the importance of a legal system that protects us.

Defective Foreign Products in the United States: Issues and Discussion, shows how foreign producers “are protected by the complex web of laws, policies, and practices that make it difficult if not impossible to sue successfully foreign manufacturers in domestic courts.” The study examined the foreign manufacturers who get away with lower prices because they are free from responsibility when their product harms some one. With no accountability, profits dominated any safety considerations.

A second study, The Social Costs of Dangerous Products: An Empirical Investigation, looks at the $4.7 billion in medical costs, lost wages, and other costs of injuries and fatalities associated with three known dangerous products: Ford SUV’s with Firestone tires, the pharmaceutical drug Baycol manufactured by Bayer, and all terrain vehicles, or ATVs. Comparing compensation awards and finding that the total through the tort system is less than the actual costs created by these dangerous products.

The tort system provides a valuable service for society to the extent it successfully deters the sale of dangerous products , according to Professors Sidney Shapiro of Wake Forest School of Law, Ruth Ruttenberg of National Labor College, and Paul Leigh of the University of California at Davis.