A jury in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., gave a unanimous verdict on Nov. 19, that there was no proof of product liability in the $20 million Arizona tread separation lawsuit against Michelin North America Inc., finding the tiremaker faultless on all claims.
The lawsuit against Michelin alleged that a defective Uniroyal tire manufactured at its Admore, Okla., plant was the reason the plaintiff was in a single-vehicle rollover accident on Oct. 8, 2011, in Arizona.
The plaintiff claimed a faulty Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWP tire separated, causing the accident that resulted in severe injuries, and sought $20 million in compensatory and punitive damages from Michelin.
During the three-week trial, Michelin showed that the tread separation on the Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWP occurred before the accident and was caused by a number of factors, such as an improperly repaired puncture before the accident and chronic underinflation of the tire.
