Last week, the Associated Press reported and we blogged about a massive defective product recall involving 1.5 million strollers, after several children’s fingertips were amputated or severely injured. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said the defective stroller’s hinges that opened or closed the canopy, posed a danger to children. Our friends at the American Association for Justice (AAJ) have issued a statement emphasizing the need for a “new decade of corporate accountability.” The advocacy group’s goal, rightly so, is to level a playing field that offers too many advantages and tilts the balance way too much in favor of powerful corporate interests.

AAJ’s President Anthony Tarricone issued a statement recently saying that the last decade turned out detrimental for consumer rights with the government protecting negligent corporations, the country going through an unprecedented economic crisis and big business’ unrelenting attempts to undermine the civil justice system. Almost on a daily basis, we see adverse effects of defective products being put in the market by negligent product manufacturers.

Preserving Our Civil Justice System

In such an environment, there is no question that a strong civil justice system plays a necessary and significant part in holding wrongdoers accountable for their actions. For consumers who have suffered serious personal injuries or have lost loved ones as a result of a defective auto, a dangerous drug or malfunctioning equipment, there is really no other recourse than taking the negligent party to court. There are three components that help level this playing field and Tarricone describes it well. “Americans simply want safe products, fewer unnecessary injuries and a restoration of checks and balances that give people a fair chance to receive justice,” he says.

Accountability Is Key

Among AAJ’s areas of focus for the coming decade include restoring Americans’ access to courts, protecting patients injured by medical negligence and protecting Americans from dangerous foreign products, which we have seen a lot of, over the last few years. American consumers do need additional tools to hold these foreign product manufacturers accountable for the dangerous and defective products they sell in this country. The Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act (S. 1606) would force foreign manufacturers to play by the same rules as American manufacturers and help consumers seek redress in U.S. courts for any injuries or even, death caused by dangerous foreign products sold in the United States.

The California personal injury lawyers at BISNAR | CHASE support AAJ 100 percent in their quest to go after negligent product manufacturers and keep our invaluable civil justice system in tact. For 32 years, our personal injury law firm has lived by the mantra of “holding wrongdoers accountable for their actions.” We will continue to fight for our injured clients’ rights and play a key role in their pursuit of justice.