Truck Accident Lawyer
Uber Accident Lawyer
Lyft Accident Lawyer
Knowledge, experience, and dedication have brought the lawyers of The Epstein Law Firm to the forefront of their profession. From personal injury to civil litigation, they have built a strong record of success in achieving justice for their clients.
Our practice is diverse and well-established. Recognizing that every case is unique, we always begin by listening to you.
The Epstein Law Firm, P.A. has been successfully representing clients throughout New Jersey since 1973
When a product injures someone, the damaged object may be the most important evidence in the case. Replacing it, returning it, or trying to repair it can change what an expert is able to learn. The first legal question is not simply whether the product broke. It is whether a defect caused the harm.
The Epstein Law Firm represents people pursuing New Jersey product liability claims. We examine how a product was designed, made, labeled, and used, together with the medical evidence explaining the injury. That approach helps distinguish a supported claim from an assumption based only on an unexpected failure.
If an item may be unsafe, stop using it and follow appropriate safety guidance. Tell us what happened and where the product is now. You do not need to conduct your own test or identify the precise engineering failure before seeking legal advice.
The Epstein Law Firm
New Jersey Product Liability
Speak with The Epstein Law Firm about your situation and the next steps.
Call now
(201) 231-7847Schedule your free consultation
New Jersey products liability law recognizes different theories involving manufacturing, design, and warnings or instructions. They ask different questions and require different proof. A manufacturing problem concerns how an item was made. A design claim concerns the product’s design. A warning claim focuses on information needed for safe use.
The New Jersey model products liability charge and failure-to-warn charge explain these distinctions. A product’s failure, standing alone, does not automatically establish which theory applies or who is responsible.
We also need to understand the condition of the item before the incident. Its age, maintenance, repairs, accessories, modifications, and instructions may affect the investigation. Accurate information about use is helpful even when you are concerned that a manufacturer will criticize it. A lawyer can evaluate the legal significance rather than leaving you to make that judgment alone.
If the product can be retained without creating a danger, keep it with its packaging, manuals, receipts, and identifying information. Photograph its condition and the area where the incident occurred. Save online purchase confirmations, warranty communications, repair invoices, and messages to the seller or manufacturer.
Do not operate, dismantle, or recreate the failure just to show someone what happened. Testing may require a qualified expert and a process that protects both people and evidence. Tell counsel if a business, insurer, employer, or repair shop has possession of the item.
The Epstein Law Firm can evaluate what needs to be examined and which records may help trace the product. A clear history connects the item involved in your injury to its model, production information, seller, and relevant warnings. It can also help determine whether an official recall concerns that exact product.
The firm’s product liability practice includes several categories with their own evidence and practical concerns. The goal is to match the investigation to the actual failure rather than apply the same checklist to every object.
You may have concerns that do not fit neatly within one category. Describe the item and the incident during the consultation so the appropriate questions can be identified.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall database can identify affected consumer products and explain the safety response. A notice may refer to specific models, dates, or identifying numbers. A similar brand name is not enough to establish that your item is included.
Follow the notice’s safety instructions. When safe and consistent with those instructions, discuss documentation and evidence handling before a return, disposal, or repair changes the item. Do not keep a hazardous product in use merely to preserve a claim.
A recall does not establish every element of an individual lawsuit, and the absence of a recall does not resolve whether a defect exists. The civil review must connect the product, the defect, and the injury. Those questions remain important even when a manufacturer has announced a remedy.
A useful case evaluation considers both technical and medical evidence. An expert may need to explain how the product failed, while treatment records explain the harm and its continuing effects. Neither part should be assumed from the other.
Keep records of medical treatment, rehabilitation, expenses, and limitations in ordinary activities. If the injury has affected your work or need for assistance, explain the change and identify supporting records. Future losses require a reasoned basis; they should not be projected simply by multiplying the first bills.
New Jersey’s damages framework addresses medical expenses and disability, pain, and loss of enjoyment in qualifying cases. The available recovery depends on the particular claim and proof. Published results can illustrate experience, but they cannot predict another person’s compensation.
New Jersey generally allows two years after a personal injury claim accrues to bring suit, subject to the rules and exceptions that apply to the facts. The injury limitation statute should be reviewed with the timeline of the incident, discovery of the problem, and relevant parties.
A warranty request, recall registration, or conversation with an insurer should not be assumed to preserve a lawsuit deadline. Bring any proposed settlement, reimbursement offer, or release to counsel before deciding whether it addresses only the product or also your injury claim.
An early consultation can identify missing information without requiring you to have a complete technical explanation. Tell us what has already happened to the product and which businesses have contacted you.
Product cases often depend on making technical evidence understandable while keeping the injured person’s needs in view. Michael J. Epstein lists product liability among his practice areas and is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney. His attorney biography describes that experience.
The Epstein Law Firm can discuss the product, the injury, and the records available for review. We can also explain the proposed fee arrangement and potential litigation expenses before you decide about representation. Contact our team for a free initial consultation about a New Jersey product injury.
Selected results reported by The Epstein Law Firm.
These examples concern the firm’s broader injury litigation, not identified product-defect verdicts or settlements.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case depends on its own facts, evidence, and applicable law.
These excerpts describe experiences with the firm. They are not identified as cases in this practice area and do not predict another outcome.
“They took the time to explain everything clearly, making sure I understood my options and felt comfortable with each step of the process.”
— R. S. · Read the full Google review
“Michael and his team were incredibly responsive, always keeping us informed and addressing any questions or concerns promptly.”
— s. v. · Read the full Google review
A safety report, a recall remedy, and an injury claim are different routes. You may need more than one, but returning or altering the product before documenting it can make the facts harder to reconstruct.
Report a consumer-product hazard — CPSC directs consumers to SaferProducts.gov to report unsafe consumer products. Record the product name, model, identifying markings, purchase information, and what happened. The report can inform product-safety oversight; it does not automatically establish liability or secure compensation for an injury.
Check recalls and the exact remedy — Search the CPSC recall database and compare the affected models or production information with your own item. Follow applicable safety instructions and keep a copy of the notice. A recall may offer a repair, replacement, or refund; do not assume that remedy addresses medical expenses or other injury losses.
Request treatment records — Ask the treating provider’s records office for the relevant treatment and billing records. Note the product incident date and the dates of medical care so the two timelines can be compared. Requesting records does not require waiting for a manufacturer’s response.
Stop using a product when its safety instructions require it. Do not retain a dangerous item unsafely merely to preserve evidence. Before returning, repairing, or disposing of an item involved in an injury, ask counsel how to document it safely while complying with the recall instructions. Keep packaging, receipts, photographs, and correspondence when available.
These answers provide general information. The facts and applicable rules should be reviewed with a lawyer before making decisions about a particular matter.
The claim must connect a legally recognized product defect to the injury. New Jersey products-liability law addresses manufacturing defects, defective design, and inadequate warnings or instructions. A product breaking or an injury occurring during use does not automatically establish that one of those theories can be proved.
Keep the product, packaging, instructions, purchase records, and photographs if doing so is safe. Explain how it was used, maintained, or modified and what happened before the injury. Technical examination may be necessary. Different theories involve different proof and defenses, so counsel should evaluate the particular product and alleged failure rather than treat all product incidents as the same kind of case.
Sources: New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.40A — Products Liability ; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.40C — Failure to Warn .
No. A recall can be important information, but it does not by itself establish that your particular product was affected or that a defect caused your injury. Check the model, dates, and identifying details in the official recall notice. Follow the notice’s safety instructions and avoid continued use of an unsafe product.
Preserve the recall information and discuss evidence handling with counsel before disposing of or altering the item, when that can be done safely. A civil review must connect the relevant defect and product to the harm. A claim may also require investigation even if no recall has been announced; recall status and legal liability are separate questions.
Sources: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission — Recalls ; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 5.40C — Failure to Warn .
New Jersey generally allows two years after a personal-injury claim accrues, but an individual deadline requires a review of the facts. The date of the incident, when the injury was discovered, the injured person’s age, and the identity of each defendant can affect the analysis. Do not assume that an insurance claim or negotiations extend the time to sue.
Claims involving public entities or public employees may require a formal notice much earlier than the lawsuit deadline. Bring the incident date, relevant correspondence, and names of the parties to an initial consultation. A lawyer can distinguish a filing deadline from notice requirements and identify whether a recognized exception needs consideration.
Sources: New Jersey Legislature — N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 ; New Jersey Treasury — Tort Claim Notice .
Preserve the original records that show what happened, who was involved, and what changed afterward. Useful material may include photographs, witness contact details, messages, incident reports, damaged items, and records of medical treatment. Keep originals and dates where possible; do not alter a photograph or recreate a document as though it were an original.
Explain where other evidence may exist, including recordings or business records held by someone else. An attorney can consider appropriate preservation requests and later discovery. The evidence needed depends on the disputed duty, the alleged breach, and the connection to your losses. Gathering information should not delay a discussion of filing deadlines or urgent medical needs.
Sources: New Jersey Courts — Complex Business Case Management ; New Jersey Legislature — N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 .
Yes. HIPAA generally gives an individual access to medical information in a covered provider’s designated record set, subject to exceptions. You may begin requesting records while arranging a legal consultation. Discharge instructions, test results, treatment notes, and records from follow-up providers can help explain the sequence of care and the effects of an injury.
An online patient portal may not include everything relevant to a claim. Tell the lawyer which records you have requested and what remains outstanding. A records request does not itself file a lawsuit or stop a deadline. If you are acting for another adult or an estate, the provider may need documentation showing your legal authority to obtain the records.
Sources: U.S. HHS — Access to Medical Records ; New Jersey Legislature — N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 .
A supported injury claim may address medical expenses, the effects of disability, pain, and loss of enjoyment of life caused by the defendant’s conduct. The available recovery depends on proof of liability, causation, and the particular losses. A past verdict, a diagnosis, or the amount of insurance alone does not establish the value of another person’s case.
Keep treatment bills, receipts, and a record of how the injury affects ordinary activities. Future care needs require medical support rather than an estimate based only on current expenses. Tell counsel about insurance payments and benefits as well, because coverage, reimbursement obligations, and applicable statutory limits can affect the eventual recovery.
Sources: New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 8.11A — Medical Expenses ; New Jersey Model Civil Jury Charge 8.11E — Disability and Pain and Suffering .
No. A published result describes a different dispute with its own evidence, losses, parties, and legal issues. It may help you understand the firm’s experience, but it is not a valuation formula or a promise of a similar recovery. Even cases involving similar injuries can differ substantially in liability evidence and available compensation.
A case assessment should connect each claimed loss to supporting records and the applicable law. Medical expenses, the lasting effects of disability, and the reliability of future-care evidence can require separate analysis. Discuss disputed facts and limitations as well as potential strengths, and ask what additional information would materially change the evaluation before deciding whether to accept a proposal.
Bring a short timeline, the names of the people or organizations involved, and the documents you already have. Include notices, correspondence, contracts or incident reports relevant to the dispute, along with any court papers and their delivery dates. Identify what outcome you are seeking and the practical losses you want the lawyer to evaluate.
You do not need to assemble a perfect file before making contact. Explain what is missing and where it may be located. The initial discussion can identify conflicts, deadlines, and the information needed for further review. Agree on a secure way to provide sensitive records, and confirm whether the firm has undertaken representation before relying on it to meet a deadline.
Sources: The Epstein Law Firm — Contact and Consultation ; New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct — Fees and Client Duties .
Not necessarily. A civil dispute may resolve through negotiation or mediation, but settlement requires an agreement and cannot be promised at the outset. The parties may need to exchange documents, obtain expert opinions, or resolve important factual disputes before they can evaluate a proposal. Some cases require a court decision on liability or damages.
A useful settlement discussion considers the evidence, risks, available relief, costs, and the terms of any release. Ask which claims would end and whether any obligations would remain. Mediation can provide a structured opportunity to negotiate; it is not the same as a judge deciding the merits. Continue meeting court and filing deadlines while discussions are ongoing.
Sources: New Jersey Courts — Civil Mediation Questions ; New Jersey Rules of Professional Conduct — Fees and Client Duties .
The Epstein Law Firm offers a free initial consultation. The fee arrangement for any representation should be discussed separately and confirmed in writing. Ask whether the matter would use a contingency fee, an hourly arrangement, or another structure, and how litigation expenses would be handled. A free consultation does not mean that every potential matter will be accepted.
Before signing, ask what services are included, how costs are advanced or reimbursed, and what happens if the matter ends without a recovery. The answer can depend on the practice area and the proposed agreement. Bring the documents you already have and identify any approaching deadlines so the initial conversation can focus on the next necessary steps.
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Rating methodology
The Epstein Law Firm serves clients from three New Jersey locations:
$31,000,000
$13,585,000
*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances. *No aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court. View Rating Methodology
Δ
<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>
340 West Passaic Street Rochelle Park, NJ 07662
Fax: 201-845-5973 201-231-7847
Map + Directions
560 Sylvan Avenue, Suite 1000-A Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (By Appointment Only)
201-734-3763
Map + directions
18-20 Lackawanna Plaza, Suite 200 Montclair, NJ 07042 (By Appointment Only)
973-381-8410
The Epstein Law Firm
The Epstein Law Firm