The defective product lawyer who sued Ford Motor Company in California got a call from defense lawyers representing Ford at 5:30am in an effort to settle the case. Thankfully for his injured clients and grieving family, the lawyer told Ford attorneys that "it was too late for that." The claims against Ford included a conspiracy to hide information from consumers that the tires on their vehicles were defective and that tread could separate, causing a serious or fatal auto accident. Ford really wanted to settle the case at the eleventh hour and enter into a confidential agreement with victims and their families, but that didn't happen. After hearing evidence the jury returned a total verdict against Ford in the amount of $73 Million.

The foreman of the jury had this to say about Ford,"for a company that is that large and a company that has gone through several of those experiences in the past, for them (Ford) to not make the choice to make as many people aware as possible-just to increase th odds that more people woudl get those tires off their vehicles-that, to me, that's why I did the first at the end"

The product liability claim involved Ford's 15-passenger Econoline van. Coming off a $2 Billion dollar Firestone recall, Ford decided to conceal information that Goodyear tires also installed on the van were defective. The jury also came to the conclusion that the design of the van caused it not to perform safely. The crash took place in April 2004, and killed two church members from the Sacramento area. Witnesses claim that the van started to shake as tread separated from the tire, resulting in the van spinning out of control and rolling several times.

The jury in this particular case found that Ford Motor Company "acted out of malice or oppression" in not passing along the information about the defective tires to the general public and Ford customers. Claims against a manufacturer for a defective product require the assistance of an experienced product liability attorney. Evidence is critical in these types of cases, and experts must be hired by your lawyer to investigate and test the product to determine if it was in fact defective. This case is much different that a claim for defective design of a product.

If you suspect that a defective product was the cause of your injury or the death of a loved one, contact an attorney immediately by calling (866) 840-3636 and discuss the facts of your particular case. If a lawyer does not secure evidence from the beginning of your case, the chances of obtaining fair compensation and justice are minimal.