4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
What defect and injury or loss are alleged?
Identify the defect theory, affected product and claimed damage before selecting the civil-liability route.
ClaimWhich producer, importer or seller is in the claim chain?
Map each supply-chain entity and its role because responsibility and recourse can differ.
PartiesHas a safety issue triggered notification, stop-sale or recall duties?
If yes, move to the recall route.
Decision factorDo you need a full evidence/causation/damages analysis?
Use the detailed product-liability guide.
Decision factorWorking rule: Identify the defect theory, injured party, responsible supply-chain entities and any regulatory recall before choosing the claim route.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
When should I use the detailed product-liability guide?
Use it when you need claim elements, evidence, defences, damages or litigation strategy rather than a threshold orientation.
When should I use the detailed product-liability guide?
Use it when the case requires analysis of causation, expert evidence, defences, damages, allocation of responsibility or litigation strategy rather than initial issue-spotting.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.