Report: Product Liability Lawsuits Hit Record High in 2022
Law.com
Product liability cases that aren’t coordinated in multidistrict litigation reached their highest level since 2013, with 5,826 filed in 2022, according to a Lex Machina report released Thursday.
What You Need to Know
- Many of the cases are consolidated in specific venues, such as the Southern District of Illinois and the Northern District of Texas.
- Cases coordinated in multidistrict litigation remained steady with the exception of 2020 and 2021, which had a substantial increase in lawsuits because of 3M’s combat earplugs.
- In 2020, nearly $240 million were awarded in damages from product liability verdicts, and in 2021, about $134 million, despite COVID-19 courthouse closures.
A new report found product liability cases that aren’t already in multidistrict litigation reached their highest level since 2013, with 5,826 filed in 2022.
With the exception of a dip in 2021, most likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of product liability cases steadily rose for seven years, according to Lex Machina’s 2023 Product Liability Litigation Report, released on Thursday.