WASHINGTON, March 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaster,
Lynch, Farrar & Ball trial lawyers have won an important U.S.
Supreme Court victory, securing a unanimous opinion that Ford Motor
Co. (NYSE: F) cannot limit the ability of injured individuals to
hold manufacturers accountable for defective products by
restricting where those lawsuits can be filed.
The closely watched opinion released Thursday in Bandemer v.
Ford impacts a wide range of product defect and personal injury
litigation. The 8-0 ruling soundly rejects Ford's argument that it
could not face product defect lawsuits in state courts if specific
vehicles involved in the claims had not been purchased in those
states.
"This common-sense ruling means manufacturers like Ford must
remain accountable in state courts for the safety of their
products, no matter where a specific product is sold," said Kaster,
Lynch, Farrar & Ball trial lawyer Kyle
Farrar, who played an active role in the Supreme Court
arguments and earlier trial and appellate matters. "Ford's attempt
to limit where injury lawsuits can be filed would have made it
harder to ensure that products are safe and manufacturers are
accountable. This is an important ruling for the safety of all
products."
In Bandemer, Minnesota
resident Adam Bandemer alleges that a defective
passenger-side airbag in a Ford Crown Victoria that he was
riding in was responsible
for a severe brain injury he suffered in a 2015
crash. The justices also heard a companion case with
similar facts that originated in Montana state court.
Ford claimed that since the Crown Victoria in
the Bandemer lawsuit and a Ford Explorer in
the companion lawsuit had been purchased
outside the states where the accidents occurred, the plaintiffs
lacked jurisdiction to file lawsuits in their home states. Instead,
Ford claimed the lawsuits could be filed only in the states where
the vehicles were designed or manufactured. State supreme courts in
Minnesota
and Montana had previously rejected the automaker's
arguments.
The cases are Ford Motor Company, Petitioner v. Montana
Eighth Judicial District Court et al., case number 19-368, and
Ford Motor Company, Petitioner v. Adam
Bandemer, case number 19-369, in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mr. Bandemer has been represented throughout the litigation by
Kyle W. Farrar, Wesley Todd Ball and Mark Bankston of Kaster
Lynch Farrar & Ball LLP.
Based in Ocala, Florida, and
Houston, the trial lawyers at Kaster Lynch Farrar
& Ball LLP have hard-earned expertise in cases
against global vehicle and tire manufacturers
over various defects that can cause significant
injuries or deaths. The firm is a nationwide leader in securing
verdicts and settlements against the world's largest tire and
vehicle manufacturers. For more information,
visit TheTireLawyers.com.
Media Contact:
Robert Tharp
214-420-6011
robert@androvett.com
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/klfb-trial-lawyers-win-important-us-supreme-court-ruling-in-ford-product-defect-lawsuit-301256998.html
SOURCE Kaster Lynch Farrar &
Ball, LLP