Product Liability Cases on the Rise: Lex Machina

Product liability cases are on the rise, according to Lex Machina’s annual Product Liability Litigation Report, with 5,826 cases in federal court in 2022.

Data analyzed by Lex Machina, a LexisNexis company, shows that “product liability cases have generally increased in recent years,” said Ron Porter, an expert on legal liability data. of Lex Machina product and report editor.

He added that “spikes and dips in cases can often be related to specific major litigation events, which are discussed in more detail in the report.”

The report focuses on the period 2018-2022 and examines trends in product liability in the federal and appellate courts. It looks at emerging trends in case filings, venues, judges, law firms, parties, timelines, case resolutions, findings, and damage

Highlights from the report:

• In 2022, 5,826 product liability cases (excluding MDL Associated cases) were litigated in federal district court.
• In the five-year period from 2018 to 2022, the highest number of product liability cases were filed in the Southern District of Illinois, while Judge Rosenstengel from the Southern District of Illinois was the most active judge for product liability cases.
• In the five-year period from 2018 to 2022, Syngenta AG was the most active defendant in general product liability cases (excluding MDL Associated Cases), while Johnson & Johnson was the most active defendant in medical/pharmaceutical cases, and Ford Motor Company is the most active defendant in automobile cases.
• Meyers & Flowers was the most active attorney representing plaintiffs in product liability cases over the five-year period from 2018 to 2022, while Kirkland & Ellis represented defendants in the highest number of product liability case over the same time period.
• $214 million in total damages were awarded as Approved Class Action Settlement Damages from 2018 to 2022, while $201 million in total damages were awarded as Punitive Damages.