Legal Question in Legal Ethics in California
Designer Liability
I have been involved with a start up company trying to develop a version of the Tazer that works with liquid. I have only A.S. degrees, as a designer. I recently found out that these men I am working with have no liability insurance, and other facets of their company seem illegal to me. They kept promising to hire me on as a full time employee, yet they recently refused, after I became unwilling to work at a pathetic pay rate after graduation. They were only paying me $800 a month, with this grand promise of 6 figures when they received funding for their product.
My problem is this. I have left them in disgust, and now I am worried that they have no licensed engineer to verify the safety of their experimental models. Am I liable for the designs because the solid-works drawings are from me? or are they liable for the designs because I am no longer working for them, yet they insist on using un-tested, possibly dangerous prototypes without supervision?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Designer Liability
This isn't really that simple, and I cannot give you an answer.
If and when there were to be a loss, there would be questions about negligence, products liability, assumption of the risk, etc.
Most of the time that we fret over what might happen, and legal problems as a result, nothing happens.
In addition here, you were an employee, and not part of management. Stop worrying, and get on with your life. Employees are rarely held responsible in situations like this.
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