Automotive and Tire

Well before the nationwide recall of the most deadly tires in American history, our lawyers were doing battle with Firestone. We worked to find the smoking guns and to get them to Washington in order to pull these tires off the road. When a Firestone tire detreaded and a Ford Explorer rolled over, breaking Donna Bailey's neck, we served as her co-counsel, pursuing both Firestone and Ford. Our combined effort caused what is believed to be the largest automotive defect settlement in history. Donna Bailey also received a written apology from John Lampe, then the Chief Executive Officer of Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., and an unprecedented personal visit by Ford representatives expressing the company's regret, shown on national television.

Mikal Watts served on the State Court Liaison Committee of the Firestone tire federal Multi-District Litigation, and helped spearhead the Texas statewide consolidated litigation efforts. Our firm's lawyers tried the first such case in the country, publicly exposing Firestone's documents in federal court. The case received international press coverage and Watts Law Firm achieved a substantial recovery for our client. We represented Vicki Hendricks in a lawsuit arising from the death of her son, Matthew, an 18 year-old killed by Firestone tires. For the first time, Firestone was forced to release its worldwide claims data -- evidence which prompted the recall of millions of defective tires.

Hundreds of Americans were killed or injured when the rear latch on their Chrysler minivans failed. Mikal Watts led the nationwide effort to hold Chrysler accountable. Chris Kiefer and his wife were burned alive in their pickup truck, and their California lawyers called on Watts to try their case. Similarly, when Mario Galvan Castro fought in Kosovo, he returned unscathed. But when his Ford F-150 rolled over, its defective roof collapsed and broke his neck. Watts Law Firm also represented the families of three men who were burned alive when Sears failed to properly inspect their tires, leading to a tragic accident just days later. Most recently, Watts Law Firm obtained a verdict for two girls ejected and killed in a rollover because Ford chose not to use the laminated glass available to it for over 30 years, a modification that would have cost no more than a few dollars in each vehicle. Watts Law Firm obtained substantial recoveries for these clients.

We also represent the families of children tragically killed when their car's power windows activate and trap their necks without deactivating, strangling them. We are involved in suits against Ford and General Motors arising from these entirely preventable deaths.

In all, we have reached exceptional settlement agreements in this area. As important, our work has helped foster unprecedented awareness of the importance of automotive and tire safety.