These days, there is more and more talk about the efforts to change our civil justice system. These changes are being proposed by big business and insurance companies. No consumer group has asked for these changes, because these changes would make it more difficult for the majority of the citizens to be properly compensated for their injuries.

Many of the changes that are being proposed have to do with responsibility for defective products. The executives of the big companies want to limit the lawsuits for injury due to defective products. They complain that these lawsuits would make their business more difficult. On the contrary, the risk of being sued is one of the best incentives so that these companies make products that are safer.

Following, we will give two examples from real life in which lawsuits against a product has improved the safety of the product for everybody.

• A four-year-old girl suffered serious burns when her pajamas accidentally caught fire. The pajama itself was flammable. The lawsuit was filed. After the jury ruled in favor of the little girl, the manufacturer stopped making flammable pajamas.
• Playtex stopped selling tampons that caused toxic shock syndrome (TSS). This only happened after a court provided financial compensation to the family of a woman who died because she used the product from this company.

These are only two examples of how lawsuits against defective products result in the products becoming safer to use. The next time you hear an executive of a company complaining over lawsuits against defective products, remember that without this motivation, they would only worry about increasing their profits, without any concern for public safety. Also remember that these lawsuits are the only way a person who has been injured by a defective product can be compensated for damages and injuries.