Second China Tire suit against Goodyear dismissed

AKRON (March 7) — A U.S. district court judge has dismissed China Tire Holdings Ltd.´s $3.5 billion racketeering and libel lawsuit against Goodyear, upholding an earlier dismissal of China Tire´s claims against Goodyear by a federal court in California. In the suits, China Tire accused Goodyear officials of improperly influencing government officials in Dalian, China, to approve a Goodyear joint venture there, over what China Tire claims was an existing agreement it had with a Dalian tire company. U.S. District Court Judge James S. Gwin dismissed this latest suit March 3, saying the plaintiff´s claims are barred by the 1996 court dismissal in California; that case is still on appeal to the Ninth Federal Circuit. China Tire representatives could not be reached for comment.