Courts grapple with Amazon’s responsibility for dangerous products

A tragic accident and a faulty rhinestone dog collar are at the center of a court drama that could have far-reaching effects on how products are sold online.

In 2015, Heather Oberdorf took her dog for a walk outside her Pennsylvania home, attaching a retractable leash to a collar she bought from Amazon seller The Furry Gang. The collar broke when her dog lunged, and the leash snapped back, permanently blinding her in one eye, according to the complaint she filed in 2016.

In the first significant decision of its kind, a Pennsylvania appeals court ruled last week that Amazon can be held liable for selling the defective product the same way a brick-and-mortar store would be, despite the company’s claim it is only serving as a platform to connect buyers to third party companies like The Furry Gang. Read Full Article - The Mercury News, July 3, 2019