Products Liability

Justin Van Tussenbrook sued Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, Inc. and Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America after a 2016 Yamaha YXZ side-by-side vehicle rolled over in Utah, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down due to severe spinal cord damage. The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, claimed the vehicle's Rollover Protective Structure (ROPS) had a design flaw that made it weak and caused it to crumple in the crash. Plaintiff's counsel argued Yamaha knew of the defect post-sale but negligently failed to issue a recall or retrofit. The defense blamed the crash on the driver's reckless driving (taking a sharp turn) and argued Van Tussenbrook knew the risks of off-road riding. The jury returned a special verdict on September 24, 2025, finding the Yamaha ROPS design substantially caused Van Tussenbrook's injuries and that the risks outweighed the benefits (design defect). They also found Yamaha negligent for failing to recall or retrofit after learning of the defect. Fault was apportioned 75% to Yamaha and 25% to the driver. The total damages awarded, prior to reduction for comparative fault, amounted to $26,333,476.67.

In the Florida case Jose Hernandez vs. PSAN PI/WD Trust (Case No. 2022-023625-CA-01), the Plaintiff alleged life-changing injuries after a defective Takata airbag inflator in his 2005 Honda Civic violently ruptured during a minor collision on December 13, 2020. The inflator exploded with excessive force, sending metal fragments into the vehicle cabin, including a large, sharp metal piece that pierced Mr. Hernandez’s right arm, causing permanent disability, disfigurement, and chronic pain. Mr. Hernandez filed suit in December 2022 against both the Takata compensation trust and the Miami-based Honda dealership involved with the vehicle. He sought damages for medical bills, lost earning ability, and significant non-economic losses such as lifelong pain, disability, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life. After hearing extensive testimony and reviewing expert evidence regarding the defect and the severity of the injuries, the jury returned a verdict on May 1, 2025, siding with the Plaintiff. The jury awarded a total of $3,000,000 in non-economic damages, allocating $2,500,000 for past suffering and $500,000 for future suffering, recognizing the irreversible impact of the airbag failure on the Plaintiff’s daily life and physical abilities. The verdict reflects the ongoing legal fallout from one of the largest defective safety product scandals in automotive history and underscores accountability for manufacturers and distributors when safety mechanisms fail catastrophically.

A Broward County jury delivered a powerful verdict against Johnson & Johnson, finding its talc-based powders caused the fatal cancer of Dr. Alberto A. Casaretto Sr., a respected Fort Lauderdale nephrologist. The jury awarded $20 million in compensatory damages to his estate, holding the company accountable for asbestos contamination in its consumer products. The Casaretto family’s legal team argued that Johnson & Johnson concealed the dangers of asbestos in its talc for decades, prioritizing profits over safety. The verdict stands as a landmark in Florida’s ongoing talc litigation, reinforcing corporate accountability for hidden product risks.

In Mae K. Moore v. Johnson & Johnson, an 88-year-old California woman’s family won a landmark $966 million verdict after a Los Angeles jury found Johnson & Johnson liable for her death from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Mae Moore used Johnson’s Baby Powder and Shower to Shower daily for decades, unaware of contamination risks. Evidence revealed the company knew for years that its talc products could contain asbestos but continued marketing them as safe. The jury found Johnson & Johnson negligent, guilty of fraud, and acting with malice by concealing the health hazards. It awarded $16 million in compensatory damages and $950 million in punitive damages, marking the largest single-plaintiff verdict against the company in talc litigation history. Johnson & Johnson denied wrongdoing and announced plans to appeal, maintaining its powders were asbestos-free. The verdict, however, stands as a defining moment in nationwide talc lawsuits and a warning to corporations accused of consumer deception.

In September 2016, American Airlines issued 1.4 million new uniforms made by Twin Hill Acquisition Company, a Tailored Brands subsidiary. Soon after, employees reported rashes, respiratory problems, and other health issues. Plaintiffs alleged the uniforms contained toxic chemicals and were negligently designed, manufactured, and distributed without proper warnings or testing. Defendants denied wrongdoing, citing compliance with standards, alternative causes, assumption of risk, and limits on damages. On June 13, 2025, an Alameda County jury found Twin Hill 90% liable and American Airlines 10% liable. It awarded over $18.6 million to five plaintiffs, rejecting punitive damages.

The family of 16-year-old Jaevon Whyte sued Vulcan Security Technologies, claiming a faulty surveillance system failed to prevent his drowning at Hartford’s Keney Park Pool. After a lengthy trial, a Hartford jury sided with the company, ruling it bore no responsibility for the teen’s death.

On May 19, 2025, a Florida jury awarded $181 million in damages to Denise J. Guth Cook, who was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma linked to years of asbestos exposure. The lawsuit targeted Hennessy Industries, among others, over its AMMCO brake grinder, which Cook’s legal team claimed generated asbestos dust when used with asbestos-containing brakes. Though the jury did not find the grinder defective under strict liability, it held Hennessy Industries 15% responsible under a negligence theory. The verdict also assigned 80% fault to Genuine Parts Company (NAPA) and 5% to Raymark Industries (Raybestos). The massive award reflected the jury’s finding that the companies failed to adequately warn about known asbestos risks, and that Cook’s injuries were a direct result of long-term exposure—both direct and secondary—from industrial and household environments.

On January 24, 2019, Plaintiff William Lee Johnson, an incompetent adult, by and through his Guardian ad Litem, Jerrad Johnson filed a product liability lawsuit in the United States District Court, California Eastern (Case number: 2:22cv422). This case was assigned to Magistrate Judge Stanley A. Boone. On December 21, 2018, a CNG truck explosion at a fueling station in Buttonwillow, Kern County, California, caused life-altering injuries to William Lee Johnson. Johnson, a co-owner of B & N Trucking, Inc., had recently purchased a Kenworth tractor equipped with a CNG fuel system. Rush Enterprises, Inc. (doing business as Momentum Fuel Technologies) designed and installed the system. Carleton Technologies, Inc. and Cobham PLC manufactured the carbon fiber cylinders, while Papé Trucks, Inc. sold the truck and its defective fuel system. As

James Edward “Dusty” Brogdon Jr., as Executor of the Estates of Debra Sue Mills and Herman Edwin Mills, along with their surviving children, filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking damages for their parents' injuries and deaths. The crash occurred in Decatur County, Georgia, but the lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court, Georgia Middle, Columbus, where their son and executor, Dusty, resides. Judge Clay D. Land presided over this lawsuit. In August 2022, Debra Mills, 64, was driving a 2015 Ford F-250 Super Crew 4x4 King Ranch truck around a right-hand turn. She lost control, causing the truck to veer onto the right shoulder and hit a drainage culvert. The impact sent the vehicle airborne for about 80 feet. It then crashed into the ground and landed upside down. Debra and Herman Mills suffered fatal injuries when t

On October 27, 2021, Plaintiff John H. Weddle and Vera G. Weddle filed an asbestos-related product liability lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Multnomah County, Oregon State(Case number: 21CV41693). Judges Stephen K. Bushong, Judith H. Matarazz, Shelley D. Russell, Rima Ghandour, Thomas M. Ryan, Amy M. Baggio, David F. Rees, and Andrew M. Lavin presided over this case. John H. Weddle, a longtime resident of Oregon, operated Willamette Lanes, a bowling alley, from 1970 to 2009. Throughout his career, he worked with asbestos-containing products, including bowling balls, automatic pin-setting machines, ball return machines, and drilling machines. These products had asbestos in gaskets, clutches, and motors. Between 1976 and 1995, John and his wife, Vera G. Weddle, also worked with ceramics at home. They handled asbes

On December 16, 2022, Sonia Hernandez Velasquez, a Los Angeles resident, sued American Honda, a California corporation with its registered office in Los Angeles. The product liability case arose from American Honda’s failure to uphold its warranty obligations for a vehicle it sold. The lawsuit was filed in the California Superior Court, Los Angeles County. Judges Barbara A. Meiers, Thomas D. Long, and Barbara M. Scheper presided over this case. [Case number: 22STCV39180] Under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, Velasquez qualified as a buyer of consumer goods, and American Honda met the legal definition of a manufacturer or distributor. According to the complaint, American Honda knowingly concealed that the vehicle’s transmission was defective at the time of sale. Its authorized agents repeatedly assured Velasquez tha

On July 8, 2022, Plaintiff Louie Scudder filed a product liability lawsuit in the District Court of Dallas County, Texas State (Case number: DC-19-18402) due to asbestos exposure that led to his mesothelioma diagnosis. Judge Maria Aceves presided over the case. Louie Scudder worked at La Gloria Oil and Gas Company in Tyler, Texas, for four decades, from 1958 to 1998. During his employment, he encountered extensive asbestos exposure while working around industrial equipment containing asbestos materials. Companies such as Air & Liquid Systems Corporation, CBS Corporation, and CertainTeed Corporation manufactured, supplied, and distributed these asbestos-containing products. These materials emitted toxic asbestos fibers, which Scudder inhaled daily while performing his duties. Neither his employers nor the manufac