California Defective Product Attorneys

Modern products liability law was born in California.

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Matched with a California attorney in 24 hours
30,000+ plaintiffs served nationwide

Free California defective product case review

A California attorney will take a look. Or call 1-833-WELEGAL.

How we match your California defective product case

When you submit a California defective product matter, we route it through a national network of independent partner firms and put it in front of the one that fits best — based on the kind of case it is, what it is likely to involve, where it has to be handled, and who has capacity to take it on now.

Case type

A defective product matter needs someone who handles defective product work day to day, not a generalist. Practice area is the first filter.

Size and complexity

Some firms are built for catastrophic injury and multi-party litigation; others resolve straightforward claims quickly. We weigh what your matter is likely to involve against how each firm actually works.

Jurisdiction and licensing

Your matter is decided under California law, so it goes to an attorney licensed in California who regularly appears where your case would be heard.

Capacity and fit

Availability, conflicts of interest and language all matter. If the best-fit firm cannot take your case, we route it to the next one that can — or tell you plainly when no one in the network is the right answer.

Every partner reviews your case for free. Injury and workers’ compensation matters are handled on contingency — no fee unless you win. Other matters are quoted upfront, before you commit to anything.

Get started How DearLegal works

DearLegal provides marketing and matching services and is not a law firm, and is not a State Bar-certified lawyer referral service. Submitting a case does not create an attorney-client relationship. Matches depend on case type, jurisdiction and firm availability.

Exhibit A

What happens with a defective product claim in California

Day 0
It happens.
Get medical care and keep every record — photos, names, the report number. In California, what you document now is what your claim is built on.
Within 24 hours
Tell us what happened.
Two minutes on this page. A California defective product attorney reviews it for free and, if it’s a fit, you’re matched within 24 hours.
Weeks 1–4
Your attorney builds the file.
Reports, medical records, witnesses, camera footage, insurance policies. This is the part insurers hope you skip.
Months 1–6
Demand and negotiation.
Your attorney sends a demand and negotiates with the insurer. California’s fault rule matters here — Pure comparative fault (Li v. Yellow Cab, 1975) — recovery reduced by plaintiff's fault percentage, no bar..
Before the 2-year deadline
Suit is filed if it has to be.
California gives 2 years from the date it happened. Filing keeps your leverage; missing it ends the claim.
Resolution
Settlement or verdict.
You pay nothing along the way. The fee — typically 33% — comes only out of what’s recovered. If nothing is recovered, you owe nothing.

Statute of Limitations: 2 years
2 years from injury or discovery (Cal. CCP § 335.1); discovery rule for latent defects.
Statute of Repose: No repose
No general products statute of repose; 10-year limit for improvements to real property (CCP § 337.15); GARA 18-year for general aviation parts.
Strict Liability Standard: Greenman v. Yuba
Greenman v. Yuba Power Products (1963) — strict liability adopted; Barker v. Lull (1978) — dual consumer-expectation and risk-utility tests for design defects.
Comparative Fault Rule: Pure comparative
Pure comparative fault (Li v. Yellow Cab, 1975) — recovery reduced by plaintiff's fault percentage, no bar.
Products Liability Statute: Common law
Common law (Greenman line); supplemented by Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (Civ. Code § 1790 et seq.), CLRA (§ 1750 et seq.), and Prop 65 (Health & Safety § 25249.5).
Typical attorney fee: 33%
33%–40% contingency — no fee unless you win

No state has shaped products law like California. Greenman v. Yuba Power Products (1963) and Cronin v. J.B.E. Olson (1972) built strict liability from the ground up; Barker v. Lull Engineering (1978) added the dual consumer-expectation and risk-utility test for design defects. The state is also purely comparative on fault — under Li v. Yellow Cab (1975), you can recover even at 99% fault, with damages simply reduced by your share. And unlike many states, California imposes no general products statute of repose, which keeps latent-defect claims alive long after a product leaves the assembly line. Your filing window is 2 years under Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, running from injury or from discovery for hidden defects. Layer on Song-Beverly, the CLRA, the UCL, and California's busy JCCP and MDL coordination dockets, and you have one of the most plaintiff-friendly products jurisdictions in the country — but only if your lawyer knows how to use these tools together.

Exhibit B

When to call a defective product attorney in California

Does any of this sound like you? Tap what applies.

Exhibit C

Defective Product cases we take in California

Which one is closest to yours?

Auto and vehicle defects

As the largest U.S. auto market and the center of EV litigation, California sees Tesla autopilot/FSD claims, Takata airbags, GM ignition switches, Ford fires, tire failures, and rollover SUVs.

Sound like yours? A California attorney reviews it free — no fee unless they win.

Start my free review

Exhibit D

How much do California defective product attorneys cost?

Sample settlement statement

California · Defective Product

Recovery$100,000

Attorney fee · 33%− $33,000

Case costs (advanced by firm)repaid at the end

To you$67,000

Due today$0

Try a different recovery$100,000

$5,000$3,000,000

Illustrative only. Your fee terms are set in a written agreement with your attorney and may include costs and expenses regardless of outcome.

Most California defective product attorneys work on contingency: the fee is a share of what they recover, and nothing if they don’t.

Expect a contingency arrangement: California defective product attorneys typically take 33% to 40% of the recovery, with case costs advanced by the firm under Cal. Rule of Prof. Conduct 1.8.5. Between the state's pioneering strict liability framework, the absence of a general statute of repose, and no general damages caps, experienced counsel can drive significant recoveries here.

A good attorney walks through every number at your free consultation — before you sign anything.

Get startedTakes about two minutes. No obligation.

Exhibit E

What your California defective product compensation can include

A California defective product recovery is built from several parts. Tap one to see what it covers.

Economic Damages

Medical bills, future care, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and property damage — with no cap on economic damages in California.

DearLegal is a legal referral service, not a law firm. We connect individuals with licensed attorneys who can evaluate their case. Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice. Results vary based on individual circumstances.

Exhibit F

California defective product questions, answered

Still unsure? Tell us what happened and a California attorney will review it for free.

Start free review

Three ways. A manufacturing defect means your unit departed from its intended design — the Cronin standard. A design defect is judged under Barker's dual test: the product either failed ordinary consumer expectations OR the design's risks outweigh its benefits. And a failure-to-warn defect means the maker knew or should have known of a risk and didn't tell you. Most California complaints plead all three theories and let discovery sort out which one sticks.

It changes what your lawyer has to prove. A manufacturing defect is one bad unit — say, a single faulty airbag inflator. A design defect condemns the whole product line, like an SUV that rolls over by design. A warning defect means the product could be used safely, but the manufacturer never told you how — the classic pattern in prescription drug cases (where the learned-intermediary doctrine applies) and industrial chemicals.

Absolutely — it's your single most important piece of evidence, and California courts sanction either side for destroying it (spoliation). Photograph it from every angle, store it somewhere secure, and let your attorney send preservation letters to the manufacturer, distributor, and retailer. If the product burned, get fire-origin investigators involved right away, before anything is moved.

The whole chain of distribution is fair game. Vandermark v. Ford Motor (1964) extended strict liability to manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and in some cases lessors and successor corporations. California never adopted a broad innocent-seller statute, so the retailer who sold you the product stays in the case. Component-part makers can also be reached under O'Neil v. Crane Co. principles.

Usually, yes. NHTSA, CPSC, and FDA recall notices are admissible evidence of defect in California courts. Judges also lean on recall data when certifying classes and coordinating related cases into JCCPs — California's state-court answer to federal MDLs.

Not before a lawyer prices the claim. Early offers almost never account for future surgeries, lifelong care, or lost earning capacity — and once you sign a California release, reopening it is very hard (CCP § 1542 must be specifically waived in the document). Get a damages workup, including a life-care plan, first.

Almost certainly nothing out of pocket. These cases run on contingency — typically 33% to 40% of the recovery, sometimes more if the case goes to trial or appeal. Cal. Rule of Prof. Conduct 1.5 requires the fee to be reasonable, and the firm advances case costs along the way.

Defective Product attorneys by city in California

Same California rules and the same attorneys — with what’s local to each city.

Other case types in California

All California practice areas →

Animal Incident attorneysCalifornia holds dog owners strictly liable for bites — the owner pays even if the dog had never bitten anyone before.

Business Dispute attorneysCalifornia bans most non-compete clauses, which shifts the leverage in partnership and employment disputes.

Car Accident attorneysPure comparative fault means even partially at-fault drivers can recover — an attorney protects your share against insurer pushback.

Consumer Protection attorneysCalifornia’s consumer-protection and unfair-competition laws give consumers some of the strongest claims in the country.

Criminal Defense attorneysCalifornia’s criminal code, Three Strikes law, and newer resentencing rules require counsel who knows the local DA office.

Employment attorneysCalifornia’s state civil-rights agency and worker-protection laws give employees more leverage than federal law alone — if filed on time.

Family Law attorneysCalifornia is a community-property state, and the law traces separate-property contributions back through the marriage — math matters here.

Immigration attorneysCalifornia has the largest immigrant population in the U.S. — and immigration courts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego each run on different timelines.

Lemon Law attorneysCalifornia’s Lemon Law lets you recover up to 2x actual damages plus attorney fees from the manufacturer.

Medical Malpractice attorneysCalifornia recently raised its medical-malpractice caps on pain-and-suffering damages, and they now rise each year — a reform that re-opens cases the old cap discouraged.

Personal Injury attorneysA 2-year filing deadline and pure comparative fault frame every California PI case — the math of your recovery starts here.

Slip and Fall attorneysCalifornia premises liability turns on notice and reasonableness — courts have set clear rules for how often stores must inspect for hazards.

Social Security Disability attorneysCalifornia’s SSA hearing offices (Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego) handle some of the country’s longest waits — an attorney accelerates and strengthens your claim.

Workers’ Compensation attorneysCalifornia’s workers’ comp division runs hearings statewide — and the state’s medical-evaluator process can make or break your impairment rating.

California Defective Product Attorneys

How we match your California defective product case

Case type

Size and complexity

Jurisdiction and licensing

Capacity and fit

What happens with a defective product claim in California

It happens.

Tell us what happened.

Your attorney builds the file.

Demand and negotiation.

Suit is filed if it has to be.

Settlement or verdict.

When to call a defective product attorney in California

Defective Product cases we take in California

Auto and vehicle defects

Pharmaceutical drug injuries

Medical device failures

Children's product injuries

Power tools and equipment

Household appliances and lithium-battery fires

Agricultural equipment and chemicals

Industrial machinery

Consumer electronics

Food contamination

Asbestos and toxic exposure

E-cigarette and vape device explosions

How much do California defective product attorneys cost?

What your California defective product compensation can include

Economic Damages

Non-Economic Damages

Punitive Damages

Loss of Consortium

Wrongful Death

Medical Monitoring

California defective product questions, answered

Defective Product attorneys by city in California

Other case types in California

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