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Amazon may be responsible for defective products by third-party sellers, court of appeal rules
Amazon may be held responsible for defective products sold on its California marketplace, the Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that suggested that Amazon could be the responsible person if you purchase a defective third-party product from Amazon. A judgment of 2019 was overthrown and claims of a woman who says she has been subjected to third-degree burns when a defective Lapton battery she bought from a third-party Amazon seller was hit by fire from the Fourth District Court of appeals in California.
The decision can have a dire effect on Amazon. For years Amazon has been arguing that the decision only intermits buyers with its third-party sellers and that, though it is not a distinct place at Amazon, Amazon refers collectively to the "Amazon Marketplace."
This position has previously protected Amazon from responsibility for products on the market. In other courts, the company now faces several other legal proceedings against defective products.
Angela Bolger says she purchased Amazon's replacement laptop battery from E-Life, Lenoge Technology Ltd.'s fictious company name, who sent it in Amazon-branded wrapping. A few months later, the battery exploded, says Bolger. She says she has never been informed of security issues that led to an Amazon platform banning E-Life.
A lower court decided in 2019 that the Amazon product liability laws did not cover Amazon. The Court of Justice also decided that Bolger 's claims under California state law are not being protected by the Communications Decency Act.
Bolger appealed the ruling, arguing that strict responsibility in California does not depend solely on selling the product.
The appeals court ruled that Amazon played an essential role in selling Bolger's laptop batteries. 'Either 'retailer,' 'distributor' or just 'facilitator,' whatever term we use in describing Amazon's role, it was crucial to bring the product to the consumer,' the court wrote. In the event that a product is defective, Amazon should be held liable, added a court.
Amazon refused to comment on this.
