When a product fails — and someone is hurt — the law assigns responsibility along the chain of design, manufacture, distribution, and sale. We bring those claims with care, and decline matters where the science or chain of causation will not support sustained litigation.
Scope of Practice
Cornerstone represents Californians injured by consumer goods, unsafe foods, household chemicals, and similar products placed into commerce. We work with retained engineering, medical, and toxicology experts to establish the defect, the injury, and the link between them.
Theories of Liability
- Strict products liability — Defendant is liable for harm caused by a product placed into commerce in a defective condition.
- Negligence — Manufacturer, distributor, or retailer failed to exercise reasonable care.
- Breach of express or implied warranty — Product fails to meet the seller’s representations or basic merchantability.
Types of Defect
- Design defect — The product is unreasonably dangerous as designed; a safer alternative was feasible.
- Manufacturing defect — A specific unit deviates from intended design in a way that causes harm.
- Failure to warn — The risk is foreseeable but the product carries no adequate warning or instruction.
Unsafe Foods & Contamination
Food-related claims often combine product-liability theory with regulatory evidence — FDA inspection records, recall notices, and laboratory testing. Pathogenic contamination (Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli), undeclared allergens, and chemical adulteration are recurring fact patterns.
Recalls & Public Notices
An active recall is meaningful but not dispositive. Recalls notify; they do not adjudicate. We often pursue claims for injuries occurring before recall notices were issued, or where notice was inadequate to reach the affected population.
Preserve the product
If you have been injured by a product, do not discard it. The physical evidence — packaging, labels, batch and lot numbers, and the product itself — is often decisive. Photograph everything and store the item in a sealed container.
How We Engage
Initial consultation is complimentary. We will give an honest read on viability and timing before you commit.
