NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 4)—The Court of Appeals of Tennessee has reversed a lower court decision that allowed 31 Mexican product liability lawsuits against Bridgestone/Firestone and Ford Motor Co. to be heard in Tennessee.
The appeals court agreed with BFS and Ford that Tennessee courts lack jurisdiction to hear cases involving Ford Explorer rollover accidents that occurred in Mexico. "The ruling is consistent with our position that under U.S. and Tennessee law these foreign cases do not belong in U.S. courts," BFS said in a prepared statement. "These disputes should be resolved in the countries where the accidents occurred." Tennessee attorneys for the Mexican plaintiffs could not be reached for comment.