Product Liability Counsel — São Paulo

Camila Oliveira is a product liability and consumer law attorney at Souto Correa Advogados in São Paulo, advising on product recalls, consumer claims, and product safety compliance under Brazilian law.

With 13 years of experience in Brazilian consumer protection and product liability law, Ms. Oliveira provides comprehensive counsel to manufacturers, distributors, and retailers facing the unique challenges of Brazil's strict liability regime. Her practice encompasses pre-market product compliance auditing, product recall coordination, and defence of collective and individual consumer claims in Brazil's highly active consumer protection environment. She is fluent in the regulatory requirements of Brazil's Consumer Protection Code and the enforcement practices of PROCON and other consumer protection agencies.

Practice Philosophy

Ms. Oliveira approaches product liability with the understanding that in Brazil's strict liability system, prevention is substantially more valuable than defence. She works with clients during product development and import stages to identify potential compliance gaps, documentation weaknesses, and labelling deficiencies that could expose the client to liability. When recalls are necessary, she guides clients through the technically demanding process of ANVISA, INMETRO, or ANATEL coordination, ensuring regulatory compliance while managing reputational risk through strategic communication.

Core Services

• ⚖️ Product Recall Management — Recall strategy development, regulatory notification to ANVISA (health products), INMETRO (certified products), and PROCON (consumer goods), recall effectiveness monitoring, and post-recall compliance closure
• 📜 Consumer Class Action Defence — Representation in collective consumer actions (ações civis públicas) brought by consumer associations, PROCON, and public prosecutors' offices (Ministério Público) under the Brazilian Consumer Protection Code (CDC), including settlement negotiation and consent decree structuring
• 🛡️ Product Safety Compliance Auditing — Pre-market safety assessment, technical regulation compliance review (INMETRO portarias, ANVISA resolutions), labelling compliance, and user manual adequacy review for imported and domestically manufactured products
• 💼 Individual Consumer Claim Defence — Defence of individual indemnification claims for personal injury, property damage, and moral damages (danos morais) in Brazil's small claims courts (Juizados Especiais Cíveis) and state civil courts
• 🧭 Supply Chain Liability Management — Indemnity agreement negotiation, supplier qualification protocols, insurance coverage review for product liability exposure, and cross-border liability allocation in international supply chain arrangements

Key Consideration for Chinese Clients: Brazil imposes one of the world's most stringent strict product liability regimes under the Consumer Protection Code (Law 8.078/90). Manufacturers, importers, and even foreign exporters who place products into the Brazilian market through local distributors can be held jointly and severally liable for product defects — regardless of fault. The risk of moral damages awards (which can be substantial and are routinely multiplied in class actions) makes compliance auditing essential for Chinese exporters of electronics, toys, automotive parts, and medical devices to Brazil.

Industry Sectors Served

• 📦 Automotive and Auto Parts — Recall coordination with DENATRAN, safety defect investigation support, and supplier liability disputes in the automotive supply chain
• 🏠 Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals — ANVISA registration compliance, adverse event reporting, medical device recall coordination, and public civil action defence in the health sector
• 🔍 Electronics and Consumer Appliances — INMETRO certification verification, electrical safety liability, battery and charger defect claims, and product lifecycle liability assessment
• 🔒 Toys and Children's Products — INMETRO toy regulation compliance, chemical content testing requirements, choking hazard labelling, and age-grading adequacy

Regulatory Engagement

Ms. Oliveira maintains active relationships with PROCON authorities in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and other major consumer markets, as well as with technical regulators including ANVISA and INMETRO. This regulatory familiarity enables her to navigate recall procedures efficiently, anticipate enforcement priorities, and, where appropriate, pursue consent decree arrangements that limit regulatory penalties and reputational damage. She monitors legislative and regulatory developments affecting product liability, including the ongoing evolution of e-commerce platform liability under Brazilian law.

Client Engagement Approach

Ms. Oliveira provides end-to-end product liability risk management services that span the entire product lifecycle from design and import through distribution and post-market monitoring. She begins with a comprehensive compliance audit that reviews product certifications, labeling adequacy, technical documentation, and supply chain agreements against Brazilian regulatory requirements. Based on this audit, she develops a prioritized action plan that addresses immediate compliance gaps while building a sustainable framework for ongoing regulatory monitoring and incident response.

Her practice includes particular expertise in assisting Chinese manufacturers and exporters who place products into the Brazilian market, either directly or through local distributors and importers. She advises on structuring distribution agreements to clearly allocate recall responsibility and indemnification obligations, developing recall response protocols that satisfy the stringent timing requirements of Brazilian consumer protection authorities, and establishing local authorized representatives who can serve as points of contact for regulatory communications and consumer complaint handling in Portuguese.