Case Results: Products Liability
Below is a list of some of the cases the firm has handled, not a complete list, and is not a guaranty of future results.
Doe Family v. Roe Corporation
$1.2 Million
Klein & Wilson represented the Doe family, whose lives were shattered when a tire on their rented van failed and the van rolled several times. The family’s five-year-old daughter was killed. This was a case which required extreme sensitivity, as the defendant alleged that Mr. Doe did not properly fasten his young daughter into her car seat. Klein & Wilson took careful steps to position the case for a maximum settlement, without the father having to sit for a deposition where he would endure extensive cross-examination. Klein & Wilson was able to settle the case for over $1.2 million after taking only two depositions . While not the largest verdict or settlement Klein & Wilson has ever achieved, the fact this settlement was achieved without the clients’ having to testify (under the circumstances of this case) was one of Klein & Wilson‘s greatest case successes.
Doe v. Roe Corporation
(Settlement)
Klein & Wilson represented the manufacturer of a heater in an explosion case where plaintiff was seriously burned. Following aggressive defense tactics, Klein & Wilson was successful in settling the case for only $60,000 .
Dwight v. Clark, et al.
(Settlement)
Klein & Wilson represented a trailer products manufacturer in a tragic case where a woman was severely brain damaged when a trailer decoupled from an oncoming truck. Klein & Wilson‘s client paid the smallest settlement in the case.
Gutierrez v. Norris Cylinder
(Settlement)
Two Metrorail workers were seriously injured when an acetylene tank manufactured by Klein & Wilson‘s client exploded. Recognizing damages could easily exceed $20 million, Klein & Wilson conducted mock trials and learned that ordinary jurors would hold other defendants responsible for the accident, not Klein & Wilson‘s client. Armed with these mock trial results, Klein & Wilson entered into an imaginative “Mary Carter” settlement with plaintiffs, which allowed Klein & Wilson‘s client to settle the case for less than the costs of defense. The remaining defendants went to trial and ultimately paid plaintiffs approximately $15 million .
Hernandez v. Clearing Manufacturing Company
(Dismissal)
Plaintiff’s hand was amputated in an industrial accident. Plaintiff sued Klein & Wilson‘s client, which owned the allegedly defective equipment for over 50 years. Klein & Wilson won a motion for summary judgment, resulting in a dismissal of the case.
Powlison v. General Motors
(Settlement)
This case arose out of a single truck and trailer accident in Northern California. The Powlisons’ Suburban left the road when the driver lost control of a swaying trailer. One of the Powlison children died and the other family members were seriously injured. Klein & Wilson represented the manufacturer of the brake actuator and the anti-sway devices on the trailer. Klein & Wilson settled this case on behalf of its client for only $25,000 , substantially less than any of the other settling defendants.