(a) In any civil action for personal injury, death, or property damage caused by a product, regardless of the type of claims alleged or the theory of liability asserted, the plaintiff must prove, among other elements, that the defendant designed, manufactured, sold, or leased the particular product the use of which is alleged to have caused the injury on which the claim is based, and not a similar or equivalent product. Designers, manufacturers, sellers, or lessors of products not identified as having been used, ingested, or encountered by an allegedly injured party may not be held liable for any alleged injury. A person, firm, corporation, association, partnership, or other legal or business entity whose design is copied or otherwise used by a manufacturer without the designer’s express authorization is not subject to liability for personal injury, death, or property damage caused by the manufacturer’s product, even if use of the design is foreseeable.
Terms Used In Alabama Code 6-5-530
Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
property: includes both real and personal property. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(b) This section is not intended in any way to alter or affect any other principle of law, including those that apply under the Alabama Medical Liability Act, Section 6-5-540 et seq.; those that apply to successor entities, distributors, component manufacturers, or manufacturers who use component parts in assembling products for sale as complete units; or those that apply to the operation of a contract, including a licensing agreement.
