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Report: Product Liability Lawsuits Hit Record High in 2022

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.