Firestone/Ford:
A Case Study
How the
Civil Justice System Uncovers the Truth for Consumers
[Updated
March 5, 2001]
Before
journalists wrote about it, before NHTSA investigated it, before
Congress was concerned about it, the civil justice system was working
to unveil the truth about tire tread separation tragedies.
The
enormous power of our civil justice system to discover the truth
and protect consumers was soundly demonstrated when victims of the
Firestone/Ford tire tread separation accidents began seeking justice
in the courts. The civil justice system sounded the alarm on the
problem, began the process of holding the companies legally accountable
for their actions, compensated victims, and by forcing the companies
to come forward, prevented even more tragedies from occurring. Consider
the following:
IT
WAS THE CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT FIRST ALERTED AMERICA TO THE PROBLEM.
The
first lawsuits were filed in 1992, serving notice to Ford and Firestone
that others knew there was a serious problem. Over the course of
a decade, victims' lawyers unearthed and worked to expose documents
which Firestone and Ford fought to keep secret that are now being
used to warn drivers around the world of these defective tires and
to alert all concerned about the companies' knowledge of the dangers.
IT
WAS THE CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT FIRST HELD WRONGDOERS ACCOUNTABLE.
By
January 2000, Firestone had paid at least $3 million to deal with
its lethal tire tread separation problems. The amounts paid by Ford
are as yet unknown, but one thing is certain lawsuits brought by
crash victims have hit the companies where it hurts their profits.
IT
WAS THE CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT FIRST TOOK CARE OF VICTIMS.
The
civil justice system forced Ford and Firestone to compensate those
who had been injured by the companies' irresponsible behavior. Settlements
paid by the companies have already helped devastated victims get
their lives back in order and have given them a measure of justice.
IT
WAS THE CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT FIRST PREVENTED FURTHER TRAGEDIES.
No
one outside of Ford and Firestone had publicly tracked incidents
of tire tread separation, and those companies chose not to share
that information with the American people or their government. Without
the lawsuits filed by victims, a pattern of accidents might never
have emerged, the press might never have reported on the danger
to consumers, and America's drivers might never have been alerted
to these lethal hazards on the road.
THE
BOTTOM LINE
An
unfettered civil justice system roots out dangers, holds people
and corporations accountable for creating those dangers, compensates
those victimized, and prevents others from being hurt by those dangers.
Knowing the power of the civil justice system to protect consumers,
why would anyone want to reform' it? Could it be that Ford and Firestone,
and other corporate behemoths just want to hide the truth and protect
their profits from the people they hurt?
WITHOUT
THE CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM CONSUMERS WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN THE
TRUTH
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