1. Manufacturer defect
2. Design defect
3. Warning defect

To be successful in a products liability lawsuit, the plaintiff need not always prove that the manufacturer was negligent in their actions.  (Obviously, if a negligence claim is alleged, it should be proven.)  Instead, a plaintiff to a products liability lawsuit often must only prove that the product is actually defective.  Proving the defect makes the manufacturer or other defendant to the lawsuit strictly liable.  (Note: Many states do actually require a claim of negligence, misrepresentation, etc.)  What does your state require?  Check with a local products liability attorney.

Have you ever owned a product that has been recalled?  Has a faulty switch caused your electric can opener to explode?  These are instances of where products liability law applies.  A products liability lawsuit is generally brought against the manufacturer or some other producer, distributor, or retailer of the product who may be responsible for the product's defect.

There are a couple of questions that go a long way to determine guilt in a products liability lawsuit.  First, was the product defective when it left the defendant's hands?  Second, was the risk or avoidance of risk reasonably foreseeable to the defendant?   Discuss your facts with a local products liability attorney to determine whether you have a valid case.