(Jackson, Mississippi / December 4, 2013) Attorneys Bradley W. Smith and D. Sterling Kidd of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, successfully defended Ford Motor Company in litigation claiming that a manufacturing defect led to injuries resulting from an accident involving a Ford vehicle.
On November 19, 2013, after a six-day trial in Jackson, Mississippi, the jury deliberated for four hours before returning a verdict denying the plaintiffs' claims of a manufacturing defect.
The plaintiff in the case, a trooper with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, sought $4 million in damages from Ford Motor Company after the trooper was injured when his state-issued 2008 Ford Crown Victoria left the roadway and hit a tree at approximately 50 miles an hour. The plaintiff alleged that a ball-joint stud from the lower control arm fractured prior to impact with the tree as a result of a manufacturing defect and caused the wreck. Ford contended that the ball-joint stud fractured on impact with the tree. The jury determined that the vehicle was not defective and returned a defense verdict.
Carter Thompson, who leads Baker Donelson's Product Liability & Mass Tort Group, noted, "This defense verdict represents yet another victory in Baker Donelson's longstanding representation of Ford Motor Company. It comes as a result of our trial team's hard work, diligent preparation, and effective trial strategy."