HB110 Alabama 2015 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

High Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Jack Williams
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2015
Title: Products liability, immunity for damages arising from product not designed, manufactured, sold, or leased by a manufacturer
Summary: HB110 would shield manufacturers from liability for damages from products they did not design, manufacture, sell, or lease, and would immunize manufacturers when their designs are copied without authorization.
What This Bill Does
HB110 would bar liability for damages arising from a product a defendant did not design, manufacture, sell, or lease. In product liability lawsuits, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant designed, manufactured, sold, or leased the exact product involved in the claim. If a designer's design is copied without permission and used by a manufacturer, the manufacturer would not be liable for injuries caused by that product, even if using the design was foreseeable. The act preserves other laws and liability principles (such as those related to medical liability, distributors, and licensing agreements) and takes effect six months after it becomes law, applying to actions filed after that date.

Who It Affects
Manufacturers and other parties who would normally face product liability claims for a product but did not design, manufacture, sell, or lease the specific product involved would be immune from liability under this act.
Designers whose designs are copied or used by a manufacturer without authorization would not be subject to liability for injuries caused by the manufacturer's product, even if the use of the design is foreseeable.

Key Provisions
Provides immunity for damages from a product not designed, manufactured, sold, or leased by the defendant, under any theory of liability.
Provides immunity for a manufacturer's product if its design is copied without express authorization, even if the copied design is foreseeable.
Requires plaintiffs to prove the defendant designed, manufactured, sold, or leased the specific product involved in the injury; those not identified as having used the product may not be liable.
Defective design claims are not eliminated, but may not be asserted against defendants who did not design the particular product involved.
Preserves other laws and liability principles, including those in the Alabama Medical Liability Act and licensing/contractual arrangements.
Effective six months after passage and governor approval, applying to civil actions filed thereafter.
Provisions are severable.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Civil Procedure