Products Liability: California vs. New York

California follows a strict liability standard in products liability cases, meaning that manufacturers and sellers can be held liable for defective products regardless of negligence. The state's Civil Code § defect laws categorize product defects into design defects, manufacturing defects, and failure to warn, compelling plaintiffs to establish that the product was unreasonably dangerous because of one of these categories. Furthermore, California adopts a consumer expectations test, which evaluates whether a product failed to meet the ordinary expectations of an average user.

New York also recognizes strict liability in products liability cases, principally through the framework established in the New York Product Liability Law. The key difference lies in New York's adoption of the 'reasonable care standard' for design defects alongside strict liability, allowing defendants to argue that their product was designed in line with accepted safety standards. New York courts generally weigh factors like the utility of the product against its risks in determining if a design defect exists, thus paving the way for a more nuanced approach compared to California’s consumer expectations test.