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North Carolina

Strict product liability in North Carolina

Last checked Aug 15, 2026 · LawyerUnc editorial. Educational only, not legal advice.

Elements

  1. 1

    Defendant in the chain

    The defendant designed, manufactured, or sold the product in the stream of commerce.

  2. 2

    Defect

    The product was defective in design, manufacture, or warning when it left the defendant’s control.

  3. 3

    Causation

    The defect caused the plaintiff’s injury while the product was used in a reasonably foreseeable way.

  4. 4

    Damages

    Physical harm or, in some jurisdictions, specified economic loss.

Burden of proof

Preponderance of the evidence. The plaintiff generally does not have to prove negligence, but must prove a defect.

A North Carolina fact pattern

Strict product liability in north-carolina.

Statute of limitations

3 years

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-52

Injury to the person is the three-year clock. Latent harm uses § 1-52(16).

Repose: 10 years.

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