In a socioeconomic system of free enterprise such as the system found in the United States, the legal issues surrounding product liability are very unique and need to be examined carefully. Businesses are highly susceptible to the claims of product liability because their products must be safe for consumer usage, creating the structure of a successful market system. This market works because businesses can compete for market share with the consumers through product quality, but it also fails because consumers go after them on false allegations because they see an infinite gold mine of compensatory damages. If a business creates a product with a defect, they should be held liable. However, some products simply cannot be made safer without losing their purpose, such as a knife or a hot cup of coffee. In an era of countless lawsuits and legal disputes from customers
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When purchasing a product, the consumer should also take responsibility in their actions when it comes to using the product. This is commonly seen in the forms of misuse, alteration, or modification, but can also be caused by negligence. In the case of Saeter v. Harley Davidson Motor Co. (1960), the plaintiff, Arne Saeter, is suing the defendant, Harley Davidson Motor Co., for alleged negligence and faulty design of a motorcycle. Arne Saeter was driving from Washington through Oregon to California, a distance of approximately 1,300 miles to the point of the accident. Saeter had started noticing a problem with his front wheel, specifically the damper, which it’s main purpose is to prevent wobbling at high speeds. After driving it for hundreds of miles with knowledge and common recurrence of the defect, Saeter never had it repaired at one of the multiple Harley Davidson dealers he visited. He eventually got into an accident and attempted to sue Harley Davidson Motor Co. for selling a defective product, but loss on the grounds of
When purchasing a product, the consumer should also take responsibility in their actions when it comes to using the product. This is commonly seen in the forms of misuse, alteration, or modification, but can also be caused by negligence. In the case of Saeter v. Harley Davidson Motor Co. (1960), the plaintiff, Arne Saeter, is suing the defendant, Harley Davidson Motor Co., for alleged negligence and faulty design of a motorcycle. Arne Saeter was driving from Washington through Oregon to California, a distance of approximately 1,300 miles to the point of the accident. Saeter had started noticing a problem with his front wheel, specifically the damper, which it’s main purpose is to prevent wobbling at high speeds. After driving it for hundreds of miles with knowledge and common recurrence of the defect, Saeter never had it repaired at one of the multiple Harley Davidson dealers he visited. He eventually got into an accident and attempted to sue Harley Davidson Motor Co. for selling a defective product, but loss on the grounds of