Verdicts & Settlements

AUTO DEFECTS CASES

Rhonda Sasser, on behalf of her child, Kelsey Sasser V. Ford Motor Company - Firm partner Jeffrey Harris represented Rhonda Sasser, whose child suffered a fractured spinal cord when a seat back in a Lincoln collapsed on her. The child suffers from paraplegia, unable to move anything below her T-2 vertebrae.

Attorney Harris, along with his colleagues from Scheriffius, Ballard, Still & Ayres, convinced a jury that Ford was not only guilty of allowing this injury to occur, but had a long history of ignoring the dangers of this defect. The jury awarded our client $33,868,000 and also levied $13,959,311 of punitive damages against Ford.

*Cameron v. Isuzu, Fulton County State Court (2001) - Recovery for the family of a wife and mother, who was crushed when her SUV rolled over as a result of a defective suspension system. The case proceeded against the manufacturer for a manufacturing defect in the welds and the suspension system and a design defect for the roof crush of the Isuzu Trooper.

*Johnson v.Nissan, United States District Court, Northern District of Georgia (2003) - A passenger seated behind the driver and wearing a lap belt only was paralyzed in a frontal collision. The paralysis was caused by the lap belt sliding up to the abdominal area during the collision and causing excessive loads on the spinal column. This phenomenon is known as submarining and is well known to automotive industry. It is caused by defective design in the seat and seatbelt which do not allow the belt to fit properly and to stay on the hips during a collision. The case resolved prior to trial.

*Maddox v.Toyota, United States District Court, Northern District of Georgia (2003) - Recovery for the family of a woman killed in a low speed frontal collision due to the lack of structural crashworthiness. During the minor collision, the steering wheel moved rearward and upward causing the 53 year old woman to break her neck.

*Wright v. General Motors , SuperiorCourt of RichmondCounty (2004) - Class action based on excessive and dangerous vibration in pick up trucks. The case was resolved prior to the class being certified by the court.