In a product liability claim, what does the term "negligence" refer to?

In the context of a product liability claim, "negligence" refers specifically to the failure of the manufacturer to exercise adequate care in the design, production, or distribution of a product, leading to harm or injury. This concept is grounded in the legal obligation that manufacturers have to ensure their products are safe when used as intended. When a manufacturer does not adhere to reasonable safety standards or fails to take the necessary precautions, they can be deemed negligent.

This means that if a product causes injury due to flaws that were preventable by reasonable care, the injured party may hold the manufacturer legally accountable. This aligns with the principles of accountability in product safety and consumer protection, emphasizing that a manufacturer must act in a manner that a reasonably careful entity would in similar circumstances. The other options do not accurately reflect the definition of negligence in a legal sense, as they either shift responsibility to the consumer or misrepresent the scope of liability regarding product safety.