Product liability under Georgia law lets a person injured by a defective product seek recovery, with O.C.G.A. 51-1-11 providing for strict liability against a manufacturer in certain circumstances. The claim focuses on the condition of the product rather than solely on the maker’s conduct.
Strict liability can reach manufacturers. Under the statute, a manufacturer can be liable where a product was defective when sold and the defect caused injury, without the injured person having to prove negligence. The condition of the product, not the maker’s care, anchors the claim.
A defect must have caused the harm. A product flawed in some way that played no part in the injury will not support recovery, so the defect and the harm must be linked. Establishing that connection is as central as showing the defect.
Different theories can apply. A claim may rest on a defect in design, in manufacturing, or in the warnings provided, each framing the problem differently. Which theory fits steers what the injured person must show. A power tool that injured a user might be faulted for a dangerous design, a flaw introduced on the line, or a missing warning, and the choice frames the case.
Product liability in Georgia rests on strict liability for manufacturers, a defect that caused injury, and the different theories of defect. Unlike a negligence claim, strict liability lets a manufacturer be held responsible without proof of carelessness, so the contest often centers on whether the product was defective and whether that defect, rather than misuse, caused the injury.