Amazon LLC: Who Is Liable for Third-Party Vendors in the Supply Chain?

Authors
Elizabeth Horan, Conglin Liu, Adom Kouame, James S. O'Rourke
Region
North America
Topic
Strategy & General Management
Operations
Length
10 pages
Keywords
Third-Party Vendors
Lithium-Ion Batteries
Product Liability
Strict Product Liability
Copyright Holder
Eugene D. Fanning Center for Business Communication
Student Price
$4.00
Target Audience
Faculty/Researchers
Graduate Students
Undergraduate Students

Customers and vendors alike are beginning to address the question of strict product liability as it pertains to an online marketplace such as Amazon LLC and the products sold on its platform by third-party vendors. This case centers on a hoverboard purchased from Amazon, which exploded because of defective lithium-ion batteries. Who should be held responsible for injuries and damage?