Court rules Amazon liable for third-party sales

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled online retail giant Amazon can be held liable for the products sold by third-party sellers on its platform.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that customers can sue Amazon when they buy defective products from its platform, even if Amazon did not make those products.

The decision could leave Amazon vulnerable to a slew of lawsuits.

The case before the appeals court, though, involved a plaintiff who was in Pennsylvania, and the appeals court carefully noted that it was finding Amazon liable under that state’s strict product liability laws.

Amazon has argued that it does not count as a “seller” because it merely provides the platform, but the appeals court on Wednesday said it disagrees.

“Amazon … plays a large role in the actual sales process,” Circuit Judge Jane Richards Roth, a Reagan appointee, wrote in the opinion. “This includes receiving customer shipping information, processing customer payments, relaying funds and information to third-party vendors, and collecting the fees it charges for providing these services.”