As of 2025, Virginia still does not generally let injured consumers sue a product maker under strict liability, which is a rule that can hold a company responsible for a defective product without proving the company acted carelessly.

That matters because Virginia product cases usually have to be built around negligence, breach of warranty, or a failure to warn theory instead. In plain terms, getting hurt by a bad product in Virginia is often not enough by itself. You usually must show what was wrong with the product and how the manufacturer, distributor, or seller failed in design, manufacturing, testing, labeling, or instructions.

Real-world example: if a knee brace fails during an obstacle course race, or a chemical product used at a data center or shipyard causes lung injury, the claim is harder in Virginia than in a state with broad strict-liability rules. The defense may argue the product was misused, altered, or not defective when it left their control. They may also raise contributory negligence, which is especially harsh in Virginia because even a small share of fault can block recovery in many injury cases.

Virginia's general statute of limitations for personal injury is usually two years, but product cases can involve extra deadlines and notice issues depending on the legal theory. The label on the case matters, because Virginia law makes product claims more technical than many people expect.