Minnesota Defective Product Liability Lawyers

Minnesota's Original Personal Injury Law Firm

Founded in 1952, SiebenCarey was Minnesota's first personal injury law firm and has grown to become one of the state's largest and most respected practices. Over the last 70+ years, we've represented over 70,000 injured Minnesotans, developing the depth of experience and institutional knowledge that complex product liability cases demand.

Proven Legal Credentials

Our legal team includes eight attorneys certified as Civil Trial Law Specialists by the Minnesota Bar Association and three Board Certified Trial Advocates by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Sixteen of our attorneys, including all 13 partners, have been recognized as Super Lawyers or Rising Stars honorees, an honor awarded to only the top 5% of attorneys in Minnesota.

National Recognition for Excellence

Twelve SiebenCarey attorneys received the 2023 Best Lawyers in America award, with the firm being named as a Best Law Firm by U.S. News & World Report every year since 2010. Five of our attorneys have also been recognized as Attorneys of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer magazine.

We assist people with product liability, including dangerous and defective products, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals, with specialized experience across all categories of defective product claims. Our attorneys practice extensively in product liability, premises liability, and related areas, bringing the specific expertise your case requires.

A Track Record of Success

Our substantial settlements and verdicts in product liability cases demonstrate our ability to secure maximum compensation for injured clients. We've successfully taken on major corporations and their high-powered legal teams, achieving results that reflect the true cost of product-related injuries.

No Financial Risk to You

We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you only pay if we win your case. We advance all investigation costs, expert fees, and litigation expenses without requiring any upfront payment from you. When we do secure compensation, our fee comes as a percentage of your settlement or award, meaning you never pay anything out of pocket.

Comprehensive Resources

Our Minnesota personal injury attorneys, certified legal investigators, paralegals, and support staff work together to deliver exceptional results for you. We have the financial resources to fund extensive investigations, retain top experts, and pursue cases against well-funded corporate defendants for as long as necessary.

Client-Centered Approach

At SiebenCarey, we always keep your best interests as our top priority. We can come to your location when needed, ensuring that your injuries don't prevent you from accessing quality legal representation. Then, we’ll continue to communicate with you clearly throughout the process of investigating and pursuing your claim. That way, you’ll always be in the loop, and we’ll always be ready to address your questions or concerns.

Design Defects: Inherent Flaws from Conception

When products are dangerous by their very design, even perfect manufacturing cannot eliminate the risks. These systemic flaws affect entire product lines and often require extensive engineering analysis to prove. Examples include vehicles with high rollover risks, medical devices prone to fracture, or children's toys with choking hazards built into their design.

Manufacturing Defects: Quality Control Failures

Individual products that suffer from production errors represent manufacturing defects. While the design may be sound, something went wrong during assembly, creating a dangerous anomaly. These cases often involve contaminated medications, improperly welded components, or electronic devices with faulty wiring that escaped quality control.

Warning and Instruction Defects

Even safe products can become dangerous when manufacturers fail to provide adequate warnings about risks or clear instructions for proper use. This category encompasses everything from pharmaceutical companies that fail to disclose serious side effects to appliance manufacturers who don't warn about fire hazards.

Automotive Product Failures

Minnesota's extensive highway network makes automotive defects particularly dangerous. SiebenCarey has handled numerous cases involving defective brakes, tire failures, airbag malfunctions, and fuel system defects that have caused serious injuries and fatalities on our roads.

Medical Device and Pharmaceutical Defects

When medical products fail, the consequences can be particularly devastating since patients depend on these items for their health and well-being. From hip implants that deteriorate to medications with undisclosed adverse reactions, these cases require specialized medical and engineering expertise.

Consumer Product Hazards

Everyday household items from appliances to children's toys can harbor serious defects. Kitchen equipment that overheats, playground structures that collapse, or power tools with inadequate safety guards represent common sources of product liability claims.

Industrial and Workplace Equipment Defects

Manufacturing and construction equipment defects can cause catastrophic workplace injuries. When safety systems fail or machinery lacks proper guards, workers suffer crushing injuries, amputations, or chemical exposures that could have been prevented with proper design and manufacturing.

Catastrophic Trauma

Product failures frequently occur without warning, creating high-impact scenarios that cause multiple simultaneous injuries. For example, automotive defects can lead to car accidents that result in life-changing injuries.

Burn and Chemical Injuries

Defective appliances, industrial equipment, or chemical products can cause severe thermal, electrical, or chemical burns. These injuries often require specialized treatment at burn centers and may necessitate multiple reconstructive surgeries over several years.

Toxic Exposures

Contaminated products or items that release harmful substances can cause both immediate poisoning symptoms and long-term health consequences, including cancer, neurological damage, or organ failure.

Mechanical Injuries

When machinery or mechanical devices malfunction, they typically cause crushing injuries, amputations, or severe lacerations. These physical traumas often result in permanent disability and require extensive rehabilitation.

Internal Injuries from Medical Products

Defective medical devices implanted in the body can cause internal bleeding, organ damage, or systemic infections that may require emergency surgery and leave lasting health complications.

Neurological and Cognitive Damage

Product-related head injuries or toxic exposures can result in:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Cognitive impairment
• Memory problems
• Personality changes

These injuries extend far beyond immediate physical damage, often creating cascading effects that impact career prospects, family relationships, and overall quality of life for decades to come.

Strict Liability Standards

Typically, negligence is the basis of a personal injury claim. However, under Minnesota's strict liability doctrine, injured consumers don't need to prove manufacturers were negligent. All you have to prove is that the product was unreasonably dangerous and caused harm.

This legal framework recognizes that consumers cannot reasonably evaluate complex manufacturing processes or design decisions. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to avoid putting dangerous or defective products into the market.

Negligence-Based Claims

When manufacturers fail to exercise reasonable care in design, production, or warning processes, proving negligence can open the door to even more compensation. These claims require demonstrating specific breaches of industry standards or safety protocols.

Breach of Warranty Actions

Express warranties made by manufacturers and implied warranties of merchantability and fitness create contractual obligations that, when violated, can form the basis for compensation claims.

Consumer Protection Violations

Minnesota's consumer protection statutes provide additional remedies when manufacturers engage in deceptive practices or fail to disclose known defects to consumers.

Gathering Evidence

Product liability cases require swift action to secure physical evidence before it's altered, repaired, or destroyed. Our immediate response team will work to preserve crucial items, conduct preliminary examinations, and prevent any evidence from being lost.

Comprehensive Investigation

Our attorneys will investigate the manufacturing processes, quality control procedures, internal company documents, and regulatory compliance records related to the product that caused your injury. That way, we can uncover evidence of known defects, design shortcuts, or warning failures that failed to prevent your accident.

Working with Expert Witnesses

Complex product cases often require expert insights. We collaborate with engineers, medical specialists, accident reconstructionists, and industry safety experts to build compelling cases demonstrating how the defective or dangerous product caused your injury.

Multi-Jurisdictional Coordination

When defective products cause injuries across multiple states, we coordinate with attorneys nationwide to share resources, develop common strategies, and apply pressure to the defendants to reach a fair resolution.

Settlement vs. Trial Strategy

While many product liability cases are resolved through negotiated settlements, we are fully prepared to take your claim to court. We approach every case with the thorough preparation needed for a trial, just in case the at-fault company refuses to offer a fair settlement.

Regulatory Advocacy

When strengthening our clients’ cases, our work can also contribute to product recalls, safety warnings, and improved regulatory oversight that protect other consumers.

Complete Medical Cost Projection

Beyond the expense of your current treatment, product injuries frequently require ongoing medical care, specialized equipment, and future surgeries. We work with medical economists and life care planners to calculate total lifetime costs.

Comprehensive Income Impact Analysis

Product injuries can end careers, particularly when they affect manual dexterity, cognitive function, or physical capabilities essential for specific occupations. Our economic experts document not just immediate income losses but any permanent or long-term losses in earning capacity.

Pain and Suffering Quantification

The sudden, unexpected nature of product failures often creates unique psychological trauma beyond typical accident scenarios. Our attorneys ensure compensation reflects both physical pain and emotional distress.

Loss of Life Quality Assessment

When product defects create permanent limitations on activities, hobbies, or family relationships, we pursue compensation for these often-overlooked but significant impacts on overall life satisfaction.

Punitive Damage Evaluation

In cases involving particularly egregious misconduct, such as concealing known defects or ignoring safety warnings, Minnesota law allows additional punitive damages designed to punish defendants and deter future misconduct.

Family Impact Recognition

Product injuries affect entire families, not just individual victims. Spouses may lose companionship and assistance, while children may miss out on parental involvement. Our comprehensive approach ensures these family-wide impacts receive appropriate compensation.

1. Secure Medical Treatment First

Product injuries often involve complex trauma requiring immediate specialized care. Don't delay treatment to collect evidence. Your health takes absolute priority.

2. Preserve Evidence

If safely possible, secure the defective product without altering its condition. This physical evidence often provides crucial proof of defects and causation in subsequent legal proceedings.

3. Document the Incident

Photograph the product, the accident scene, and your injuries from multiple angles. Record details about how you were using the product and what went wrong.

4. Retain All Product Materials

Save packaging, instruction manuals, warranties, purchase receipts, and any maintenance records. These materials often contain important legal information and can help establish the product's history.

5. Report to the Appropriate Authorities

File reports with relevant agencies such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission, FDA, or National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, depending on the product type involved.

6. Avoid Communicating with Manufacturers

Decline requests from product manufacturers or their representatives to examine the product, provide statements, or accept early settlement offers before consulting with legal counsel.