The old year ended with a thud for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which lost a second appeal of a $32.2 million wrongful death judgment against it.
In a 6-1 decision issued on Dec. 30, the Nevada Supreme Court reaffirmed a Clark County District Court judge’s ruling that Goodyear could not present a liability defense in the case, and could only argue the amount of compensatory damages.
The original lawsuit resulted from a deadly August 2004 rollover in which three people were killed and another person was severely injured.
The state supreme court had already ruled once in the case, finding for the plaintiffs in July 2010. Citing a lack of cooperation on its part during the discovery phase of the proceedings, the trial judge struck Goodyear’s response to the suit and the evidence it wanted to present and instead left the jury to decide only how much money to award the plaintiffs.
Numerous business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, came to Goodyear’s aid, arguing that Goodyear was never allowed to present its side of the story.