Federal court holds Amazon liable for third party products

Slashdot -A federal appeals court ruled that Amazon can be held liable for third-party seller products, exposing the online retailer to lawsuits from customers who buy defective products through its website. Reuters reports: 

Numerous other courts, including two federal appeals courts, have held that Amazon cannot be held liable as a seller of products from third-party vendors. The new ruling from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, which reversed a lower court decision, appeared to be the first to buck that trend. Liability for defective products is generally governed by state law, and Wednesday's decision is based on the laws of Pennsylvania, where the customer, Heather Oberdorf, lives.

Oberdorf sued Amazon in 2016 in a federal court in Pennsylvania, saying she was blinded in one eye when a retractable dog leash she bought through the company's website from a third-party vendor snapped and recoiled, hitting her in the face.