Who’s responsible for what you buy on Amazon? The court is to decide
Federal judges will determine if Amazon holds responsibility for damages caused by goods sold on Amazon Marketplace.
According to CNN, the U.S. Third Court of Appeals in Philadelphia is hearing the case “Oberdorf v. Amazon.” The case was originally brought by Heather Oberdorf, who was blinded in one eye in 2015 as a result of a faulty dog collar purchased from third-party seller “The Furry Gang” on Amazon, reports ChainStoreAge.com. Neither Oberdorf nor Amazon has been able to locate The Furry Gang.
In 2019, a lower court determined that under Pennsylvania law, Amazon could be legally considered the seller of the faulty product and held liable for any damages it caused. Amazon is appealing the case, saying it provides a marketplace for third-party sellers but does not act as the seller for third-party transactions. Amazon states this policy in its conditions of use for Amazon Marketplace.
If the Full Appeals court rules against Amazon, it could have a significant effect. A substantial shift in case law holding Amazon liable for third party sales would change the way the marketplace operates. As a result, Amazon would respond by demanding more stringent vetting measures for third-party sellers and their products.
More Amazon news
Meet Andy Jassy, the next CEO of Amazon
Who is Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos’ successor? The decision to name Andy Jassy as the new Amazon CEO completes the shift from a retailer to a tech company in the key areas, including cloud and artificial intelligence Jeff Bezos has announced he will be stepping down as the...
Amazon without Bezos
Jeff Bezos steps down as Amazon CEO Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will step down as CEO and transition to a new position at the company as executive chair of the Amazon board in Q3 2021 Andy Jassy, who currently serves as CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), will replace Bezos...
New Year in China 2021: lockdown 2.0
China's COVID-19 case spike forces another harsh lockdown China is enforcing strict new measures, trying to contain the spread of COVID-19. The new initiatives are aimed to limit and discourage movement during the traditional migration period. The following regions...
