Millions of products are sold through Amazon every day, many of them from third-party sellers that consumers know little about. When one of those products turns out to be defective and causes an injury, the question of who is legally responsible becomes more complicated than it would be with a traditional retail purchase. You might assume that Amazon should be held liable, but the company has long argued that it is simply a platform connecting buyers with independent sellers.
That defense has not gone unchallenged, however, and the legal landscape around Amazon’s liability is shifting as a result. If you were injured by a defective product you purchased through Amazon in Illinois, you may still have legal options depending on the circumstances of your case. Contact our Chicago defective product lawyer and schedule your free consultation today.
Product Liability Law in Illinois
Illinois follows a strict liability standard for defective product claims. Under this rule, anyone in the chain of distribution for a defective product can potentially be held responsible if that product injures a consumer. This includes the manufacturer, the distributor, and the retailer.
Illinois law recognizes three categories of product defects:
- Manufacturing defects, where something went wrong during the production process
- Design defects, where the product’s design itself created an unreasonable risk of harm
- Failure to warn, where the product lacked adequate instructions or safety warnings
To bring a successful claim, you generally need to show that the product contained a defect when it left the defendant’s control, that the defect made the product unreasonably dangerous, that the defect caused your injury, and that the product reached you without being substantially altered.
Can You Sue Amazon in Illinois?
This is where things get complicated. Amazon operates as both a direct retailer for some products and a marketplace platform for third-party sellers. When a product is sold and shipped by Amazon directly, the company clearly falls within the chain of distribution and can be held liable like any other retailer.
The harder question arises with third-party seller products, particularly those fulfilled through Amazon’s FBA system. Under this program, Amazon stores the product in its warehouse, packages it, and ships it to the customer. However, despite that level of involvement, Amazon has consistently argued that it is not the “seller” and should not bear liability for defects in products it didn’t manufacture or own.
That argument has succeeded on some occasions, but a 2024 ruling by the Consumer Product Safety Commission classified Amazon as a “distributor” under the Consumer Product Safety Act for products handled through its FBA program. That decision has shifted the conversation nationally and could influence how courts approach these claims going forward.
Contact an Illinois Product Liability Lawyer With Meyers & Flowers for Help
If you were injured by a defective product you bought on Amazon, reaching out to a personal injury lawyer in Chicago for legal advice is a wise step to take next. Call Meyers & Flowers today to get started with a free consultation at (630) 394-5189. We’ve won billions of dollars for our deserving clients to date and will work just as hard for you on your case.