Defective Automobiles

Recovery for injuries sustained by consumers as a result of defective products are based on strict liability, negligence, and breach of warranty. Our attorneys obtained one of the largest product liability verdicts in the country and the highest ever against Honda of almost $20 million and have successfully litigated numerous cases against numerous manufacturers.

In another important case, a 38 year old client sustained paralyzing injuries while operating a motorcycle just after entering a highway from a rest stop in Greenwich, Connecticut. He drove off without realizing that he had left the side stand down. As he entered the first left hand curve about a quarter mile from the rest stop, the side stand contacted the road surface and failed to retract as required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The extended side stand forced the vehicle off course and into the guardrail. Our client was ejected from the motorcycle and suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury as well as other serious injuries. Our attorneys asserted that the motorcycle was defectively designed because the side stand design did not assure reliable retraction, was not equipped with an auto retracting side stand, was not equipped with active warning devices such as flashing dash lights or buzzers and was not equipped with available electric or mechanical interlocks that would have prevented the riding of the motorcycle with the side stand down. A confidential settlement was reached with the manufacturer after full fact and expert discovery was completed.

Some of our other successful representations include a $5,000,000 award in a products case involving an ATV, and a $4,750,000 settlement in a product liability case against a motorcycle manufacturer. Total verdicts and settlements for vehicle defects now exceed $50,000,000. For a complete list of the firm's representative results, go to our Verdicts and Settlements section.