Greene & Phillips: Product liability law
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - David Greene from Greene & Phillips Injury Lawyers joined us on Studio10 to discuss ‘Product Liability Law’ and the role it plays in keeping us all safe.
The following information was provided by Greene & Phillips:
Greene & Phillips had a few headlines recently regarding Product Liability Law. Can you tell us about the the recent $8.5 million jury verdict against Nissan Motors Company?
That’s right, we were honored to represent Alise Henderson-Brundidge, an incredibly resilient young woman who was riding as a passenger in a 1998 Infiniti QX4. The vehicle was involved in a relatively low speed crash. The Airbags deployed, but because of a defect in Nissan’s design, it didn’t fully inflate until after it had struck Alise. As a result she was blinded in one eye and severely injured in the other.
She was only 15 years old at the time. What an absolutely tragic situation, but we were able to help her get the best possible medical care as we looked into what went wrong. It turns out that Nissan knew about the defect in the airbag and had ignored warnings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the airbags were overpowered. These types of cases take a lot of resources and very specific skill. We partnered with the attorneys at Beasley Allen to confront Nissan which refused to admit wrong doing. So we went to trial in Alabama State Court here in Mobile. A jury heard 5 days of testimony, and after a short deliberation came back offering Alise the 8.5 million dollar verdict.
Is that 8.5 million number arbitrary or is there a reason behind it?
It’s not arbitrary at all. In product liability cases, we not only want to make sure that all of our client’s medical bills get paid along with compensation for lost work, schooling, pain and suffering, and future consequences. It’s really important that a settlement or in this case a verdict is at a level that will convince a big corporation like Nissan to fix their unsafe product. As of yet, Nissan has refused to recall these defective airbags and there are cars still on the road with these unsafe airbags.
When someone comes in with an injury, what are some things you look for to determine if it is a product liability case?
Anytime someone comes in injured, we look at what were the causes of those injuries. We often see that products often fail to do what they are supposed to do. The airbag for instance, is supposed to keep you safe, not injure you further. What we see time and time again is that big companies often know that their product is unsafe, but they continue to sell it because it would cost a little more eating into the profits they report back to shareholders. We see all sorts of products, defective medical equipment, household appliances and electronics, industrial machinery and equipment, and of course vehicles from four-wheelers to specific parts of big trucks.
I think a lot of people may assume it’s the job of government regulators to make sure products are safe. How does product liability law play into that?
Here in the US, the regulators play an important role, but they are often relying on documentation and safety reports produced by the companies themselves. Product Liability law plays a really important role in keeping people safe. The leadership of big companies are going to think twice about selling dangerous products when there’s the likelihood that they’ll be on the hook for millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts.
How can people reach you if they have questions?
You can show up at our office during business hours, or call us 24/7 at 251 300 2000, just tell us a little about your situation, we’ll let you know if we think you may have a case. If so, we’ll set up a quick 30 minute meeting where we can get some more details and answer any of your questions. If everything sounds good, we’ll get you signed up then you can focus on recovering, we’ll do all the heavy lifting. The best part is, you owe us nothing unless we’re able to get money for you.
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