Citation

Shapiro S, Ruttenberg R, Leigh P. Cornell J. Law Public Policy 2009; 18(3): 775-829.

Affiliation

Wake Forest University; National Labor College; Center for Health Care Policy and Research, University of California, Davis, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Cornell Law School)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Defective consumer products impose significant costs on consumers and third parties when they cause fatalities and injuries. This Article develops a novel approach to measuring the true extent of such costs, which may not be accurately captured under current methods of estimating the cost of dangerous products. Current analysis rests on a narrowly defined set of costs, excluding certain types of costs. The cost–of-injury estimates utilized in this Article address this omission by quantifying and incorporating these costs to provide a more complete picture of the true impact of defective consumer products. The new estimates help to gauge the true value of the civil liability system.