BFS tentatively settles Texas class action suit

BEAUMONT, Texas (May 27)—Bridgestone/Firestone has agreed to a proposed settlement of a class action suit before a Texas state district court involving its 6.5 million recalled Firestone ATX, ATX II and Wilderness AT tires. The exact language of the agreement and exact compensation for plaintiffs' attorneys must still be worked out and submitted to the court for its approval, said Zona Jones of the Beaumont law firm of Provost Umphrey. "But the most important thing about this resolution is about safety, and about changing the way Firestone makes its tires," Jones said. The agreement in the Texas case will expand it to a national class, according to a BFS spokesman. "From our standpoint, we feel this agreement is reasonable, fair to all sides and in the best interests of all sides," he said.