LAS VEGAS (Feb. 16) — Goodyear said it will appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court a $30 million damage award in a product liability case involving the August 2004 rollover of a 15-passenger Ford van.
The plaintiffs claimed the right rear Goodyear tire that blew out on the van was defective; the subsequent accident killed three passengers, permanently disabled a 14-year-old boy and injured six others.
Goodyear claimed its due process rights were abrogated when Clark County District Court Judge Sally Loehrer barred the tire maker from presenting evidence that the tire was safe, on the grounds that it was dilatory in providing evidence to the plaintiffs´ attorneys. "Not only was the jury prevented from considering Goodyear's defenses, their verdicts were unfortunately based on erroneous rulings from the court," Goodyear said in a media statement.
Ford Motor Co. settled with the plaintiffs for an undisclosed amount before trial.