LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Defective Products - Verdict in favor of Plaintiff in the amount of US$25,910,000
This is a settlement for the Defective Tires lawsuit.
| Case Name: | Salliotte v. Ford Motor Co. and the First Baptist Church |
| Case Number: | 2014-CA-001436 |
| Verdict Date: | 2018-03-15 |
| Outcome Type: | Jury Verdict |
| Court: | 6th Judicial Circuit, Pasco County, FL |
| Incident Date: | 2014-02-21 |
Plaintiff's Complaint:
Wrongful death arising out of a 15 passenger E350 Van rollover. The crash happened on February 21, 2014, just outside of Lake City, Florida. The van was owned by The First Baptist Church of New Port Richey. The Church was using the van to transport members of its congregation from New Port Richey to a retreat in Georgia. The rollover was immediately preceded by a catastrophic tread separation suffered by the left rear tire. The tire that failed had been previously recalled.
Injury, Damage, or Loss:
Wrongful Death. Mrs. Salliotte left behind a husband and four children.
Defendant's Wrongdoing:
The Plaintiff presented evidence and argument that the van's seatbelts were defectively designed because they could fall between or below the seats, making them inaccessible to a seated passenger. The Plaintiff also presented evidence and argument that the van was defectively designed from a handling standpoint because it had a rear-wheel bustleback, rather than a dually design. Additionally, the Plaintiff presented evidence and argument that the Church failed to properly maintain the seatbelts, including by failing to look for and pull the seatbelts up on top of the seats to ensure they were accessible to passengers. The Jury found that the E350 Van was placed on the market with defective seatbelts and with a defective rear-wheel bustleback design. The Jury also found that the Church was negligent.
Plaintiff's Attorneys:
Rich Newsome and Frank Melton of Newsome Melton, PA (Orlando, FL) Christine Spagnoli of Greene Broilet & Wheeler, LLP (Los Angeles, CA)
Defendant's Attorneys:
Judge/Arbitrator/Mediator:
Judge Byrd
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