Product liability: products purchased online.

Existing law imposes strict liability upon persons who place a defective product on the market, including retailers engaged in the business of distributing goods to the public, for injuries caused by the product. Existing law exempts a manufacturer or seller from liability, except as provided, in any action for injury or death caused by a product, other than an action based on a manufacturing defect or breach of an express warranty, if the product is inherently unsafe and the product is known to be unsafe by the ordinary consumer who consumes the product with the ordinary knowledge common to the community and the product is a common consumer product intended for personal consumption, as specified. This bill would, in any strict products liability action, make an electronic place that, by contract or other arrangement with one or more third parties, engages in specified acts strictly liable for all damages proximately caused by a defective product that is purchased or sold through the electronic place to the same extent as a retailer would be liable for selling the defective product in the retailer's physical store, regardless of whether the electronic place ever takes physical possession of, or title to, the defective product.