On February 23, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that plaintiffs can pursue product liability lawsuits against automakers that used lap-only seatbelts, even though federal regulations deemed them to meet the minimum standards of safety.
The new ruling will allow for wrongful death lawsuits to be brought against all car manufactures. The ruling also opens the doors to discussions over other products that only meet the minimum federal safety standards in the United States.
The new ruling will also push the automobile industry away from meeting the minimum of safety standards and move them more towards using the best available safety technology.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision was unanimous and was written by Justice Stephen Breyer.
