Unsafe on any docket: Litigation over auto safety (Also see separate pages for product liability and class actions)

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Overlawyered.com commentary [through mid-June 2003. Items after that date collected here]: Leasing liability: "'Silver's wreck'", Jun. 9, 2003; "Auto-lease liability: deeper into crisis", May 21; "'Automakers may stop leasing vehicles in N.Y.'", Mar. 12-14, 2003; "R.I.: No more cheap car leases?", Aug. 26, 2002.  Romo v. Ford Motor Co.: "Update", Jun. 2, 2003; "'California Court Upholds $290 Million Injury Jury Award Against Ford'", Oct. 24, 2002; "You read it here first", Aug. 27, 2002;  "Tainted by '60 Minutes'", Sept. 17-19, 1999; "The dream verdict" (California Bronco award), Aug. 24, 1999. (& see further update Nov. 26, 2003 (appeals court slashes award in light of U.S. Supreme Court guidance) "Steering the evidence" (DaimlerChrysler gets sanctions against lawyers for evidence and witness tampering), May 23, 2000 (& updates Jun. 26, 2000, Mar. 17, 2003).  "'The Lawyers Are Lurking Over S.U.V.'s'", Jan. 9, 2003. Tires: "Blaming murder on flat tire", Jun. 4-5, 2003; "Hey, no fair talking about the pot" (rollover), Apr. 12-14, 2002; "'Plaintiff's lawyers going on defense'" (Reaud represents Bridgestone Firestone), Oct. 9, 2001; "'Lawyers put profit before lives'", June 28; "Trial lawyers knew of tire failures, didn't inform safety regulators", June 25 (& letter to the editor, July 6); "Big numbers" (Continental General Tire, Cooper Tire), April 16, 2001; "Product liability criminalized?", Oct. 20-22, 2000; "Hasty tire judgments", Oct. 16-17; "Who caught the tire problem?", Sept. 15-17; "'Feeding frenzy over Firestone'", Sept. 11, 2000. "Ford didn't push pedal extenders, suit says", Feb. 27-28, 2002 (& letter to the editor, Apr. 11).  "'Drunken Driver's Widow Wins Court's OK To Sue Carmaker'" (VW), Feb. 25-26, 2002.  "Chrysler dodges a $250 million dart", Dec. 7-9, 2001; "Miami jury to Ford: pay $15 million after beltless crash", Sept. 24, 2001.  "Disclaimer rage?" (GPS software), Oct. 15, 2001.  "When trial lawyers help redesign cars" (Thornburgh on GM trucks), Aug. 6, 2001.  Airbags: "'Airbag chemical on trial'", Aug. 14, 2000; "Deflated", May 16, 2000; and see Oct. 20-22, 2000 (Henry Payne cartoon).  "Drive 60K miles, collect $273K", Jan. 9, 2001; "Tales from the tow zone" (verdict against Chrysler), Oct. 31, 2000.  "Highway responsibility" (GM sued in Derrick Thomas speeding-on-ice crash), Nov. 28, 2000.  "Product liability criminalized?", Oct. 20-22, 2000.  "Target Detroit" (mass litigation; S.U.V.'s; class action firm countersues DaimlerChrysler and exec personally), Jul. 19-20, 2000; "Turning the tables" (DaimlerChrysler sues class action lawyers), Nov. 12, 1999.  "Nader on the Corvair", July 13, 2000; "Nader, controversial at last", June 13, 2000; "Deflated", May 16, 2000.  "Sudden deceleration" (NHTSA rejects petition for sudden-acceleration probe), Jun. 6, 2000.  "'Saints, sinners and the Isuzu Trooper'", April 14-16, 2000; "Verdict on Consumer Reports: false, but not damaging" (Isuzu v. Consumers Union), Apr. 10, 2000.  "$65 million Texas verdict: driver at twice the legal blood limit" (drunk driver's estate sues Honda over seat belt), Mar. 28, 2000.  "'Motorists speed more, but fewer die'", Feb. 19-21, 2000.  "GM verdict roundup" (Anderson v. General Motors fallout continues), Dec. 16, 1999; "L.A. judge cuts award against GM to $1.2 billion", Aug. 27, 1999; "In L.A., redesigning the Chevy" ($5 billion Malibu gas tank verdict), Jul. 10, 1999 (& see update Aug. 3, 2003, case settled on undisclosed terms).  "Toshiba and Ford, in the same boat", Dec. 2, 1999.  "'Wretched excesses of liability lawsuits'" (David Boldt, Philadelphia Inquirer), Nov. 29, 1999.  "Responsibility, RIP" (columnist Mona Charen), Nov. 2, 1999.  "Zone of blame" (policeman shot in his cruiser, automaker sued), Oct. 27, 1999.  "Rhode Island A.G.: let's do latex gloves next" (speed governors on cars), Oct. 26, 1999.  "The art of blame" (Ford sued after child left in parked van in sun dies of overheating), Oct. 20, 1999.  "Demolition derby for consumer budgets" (class action against State Farm over generic crash parts), Oct. 8, 1999. "Yes, it is personal" (automotive engineers take design-defect suits as personal accusations), Oct. 7, 1999. "Too many games at GM?" (Atlanta ruling on Ivey memo controversy), September 10, 1999. "Do as we say (II): gun-suit hypocrisy in Detroit" (gun- and automakers both sued after criminal misuse of their products), Aug. 30, 1999.

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