Compensation for Harm Caused to the Consumer's Health according to the Norms on Product Liability: Principal Directions for Improving Russian Legislation based on the Results of a Study of Foreign Experience

Despite the fact that cases of harm caused as a result of defects in goods, works and services represent the third most common special type of tort in Russia, with which claims for compensation for health damage are associated, the legislation does not provide additional insurance means of protection for the consumer. In judicial practice, the problems of determining the basis of tort liability for such harm, its nature and size according to Article 1086 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation remain relevant. Foreign experience shows that many of these problems can be solved through the introduction of special evidentiary tests and the development of norms on product liability, the use of institutes of insurance of the risk of harm and liability. The paper presents a comparative legal study of the procedure and conditions for compensation for the harm caused to consumer health in Russia and foreign countries. Special attention is given to the fundamental differences between the American and European models of legal regulation of these relations. The author studied the most indicative approaches to determining the causal relationship between the defect of the goods and the damage caused, calculating the amount of compensation, understanding the defect of the goods and its legal consequences. The goals and objectives of the study are to identify and analyze the problems of legal regulation of compensation for harm caused to consumer health in Russia, study foreign experience and identify fundamentally significant areas of improvement of Russian legislation in this area. The expediency of establishing in the domestic legislation special presumptions of the presence of a defect in the goods, the origin of harm from such a defect for cases of causing damage to health during the operation of certain categories of goods is justified, a set of conditions is given, under which such a step may become possible. The prospects for the development and implementation of insurance methods of compensation for harm in this area, including mandatory no-fault insurance, are determined.

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