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Michigan · Claims for burns from hot soup

Claims for burns from hot soup in Michigan

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Filing deadline3 years from date of burn (for minor victims, 1 year after turning 18 if later)M.C.L. § 600.5805

Deadlines vary with the facts of each case. A lawyer can confirm yours.

Updated

01 · Your filing deadline

What is the deadline in Michigan?

Michigan has a 3-year statute of limitations for product liability claims (M.C.L. § 600.5805). For minor victims, M.C.L. § 600.5851 gives a child injured before 18 until 1 year after turning 18 to file, if that is later than the 3-year period. Under M.C.L. § 600.5805(12), Michigan has no product statute of repose; for a product in use for at least 10 years the plaintiff must prove a prima facie case without the benefit of any presumption. A lawyer can confirm yours.

3 years from date of burn (for minor victims, 1 year after turning 18 if later)

Michigan requires heightened expert witness disclosure standards under MCR 2.302.

Source: M.C.L. § 600.5805

Deadlines vary; a lawyer can confirm yours. An older diagnosis or a past filing window does not, by itself, establish whether you have a claim.

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A lawyer can check which filing rules apply to your circumstances.

02 · Where cases are heard

Where would my case be heard?

Under Michigan's comparative fault rule, damages are reduced by the plaintiff's percentage of fault, and a plaintiff more than 50% at fault cannot recover noneconomic damages (MCL 600.2959). Michigan's product liability framework (M.C.L. § 600.2945 et seq.) provides claims for design defect and failure to warn, with specific procedural requirements for expert witness disclosures. Michigan has a 3-year SOL for product liability and no product statute of repose. Wayne County (Detroit) courts handle the majority of significant product liability litigation in the state.

Michigan venue: Instant soup burn actions are filed in Michigan Circuit Courts (state court), in the county of the injury or the defendant's registered agent's county. Wayne (Detroit), Oakland, and Kent (Grand Rapids) Counties are common personal injury venues. No federal MDL exists for these claims.

Statute of limitations: MCL § 600.5805(2) sets a 3-year SoL for personal injury actions, running from the date of the burn. MCL § 600.5851 tolls the period for minors — injured children have 1 year after turning 18 (or 3 years from injury if longer) to file.

Products liability standard: Michigan's product liability law (MCL § 600.2945 et seq.) governs design defect, manufacturing defect, and failure-to-warn claims. Michigan applies the risk-utility test for design defects and requires proof that a safer alternative design existed. Note: Michigan has limited strict liability — negligence elements often apply to design defect claims.

Consumer protection: Michigan's Consumer Protection Act (MCL § 445.901 et seq.) prohibits unfair, unconscionable, or deceptive trade practices.

Medical facilities in Michigan

  • University of Michigan Trauma Burn Center (Ann Arbor)

  • Hurley Medical Center — Burn Care Unit (Flint)

How this works nationally

For the overall process and updates, read the Claims for burns from hot soup overview. This page covers the local information available for Michigan.

What happens when I check?

You answer a few short questions about what happened. If you send them, your answers are kept on file. If a participating law firm takes these cases, it may contact you. People's Justice is not a law firm.

Live in Michigan? Read what applies in your state.

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Sources

  1. M.C.L. § 600.5805