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In products liability cases, the focus is on either the design, manufacture or warnings or lack of warnings that accompany the "product". The product could be a household appliance, a motor vehicle, or an industrial piece of machinery. Attorneys handling products liability claims must be knowledgeable about the ever-changing law governing products liability claims, concepts of product design, safety standards in the manufacturing industry, and safety technology. The attorneys at Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins have handled many products liability claims with products as diverse as backhoes, radios, drop-lights, mechanical presses, tank trucks, food processing equipment, and automobiles.
| DEFENDANT | VERDICT/SETTLEMENT |
|---|---|
| Avery Denison | In a products liability case against manufacturer of name tags, Bob Hicks obtained a $900,000.00 settlement for an eleven year old girl for an eye injury caused by the elastic strap of a hanging name tag. |
| STERLING ENGINEERING | Jack Wurgaft obtained an $850,000 settlement for a construction worker who was using a pole/driver machine to pound steel posts into the ground. The machine failed to include a safety latch preventing a 1200 lb. block to slip from the cable crushing the plaintiff’s right hand, resulting in the amputation of his right ring and middle fingers and a partial amputation of his right index finger. |
| OWENS CORNING | In a case against the manufacturer of a bath tub, Bob Hicks obtained a settlement of $250,000 for women who fractured her arm by proving that the design of the bath tub led to the women falling when she stepped out of the tub. |
| DAIMLER CHRYSLER | Jack Wurgaft obtained a $2.54 million settlement for a child who, while seated in a child seat directly behind the driver of a Chrysler Voyager van, suffered permanent head injuries when the driver’s seat snapped and struck the child following impact with a truck. $1.7 million of the settlement was placed into an annuity, to be worth about $17 million over the child’s lifetime. |
| E.W. BUSCHMAN COMPANY, ET ALS | In an action for negligence in the design and post installation inspection of a conveyor system, Ken Javerbaum obtained a $4.1 million settlement on behalf of a client paralyzed when caught between the conveyor and a transporter. |
| KICE METAL PRODUCTS | Jack Wurgaft obtained a $1.3 million settlement on behalf of a spice mill employee who suffered amputated fingers while working on the defendant-manufacturer’s rolling mill machine. |
| CAROL CABLE | Jack Wurgaft obtained a $2.2 million jury verdict against the manufacturer of a drop light for a man burned when the drop light ignited and spilled gasoline, proving the manufacturer had made a defective product by not providing a warning that the light should not be used near flammable liquids. |
| JOHN DOE TRUCK COMPANY | Bob Hicks obtained a $675,000 settlement for a truck driver injured when he fell from a step board on the trailer of the truck, proving the design of the step board caused it to droop at an angle leading to the driver's fall. (Note: the defendant's true name is withheld pursuant to a confidentiality agreement.) |
| ERSHEL | Jack Wurgaft obtained a $675,000 settlement against the manufacturer of a vegetable slicing machine for a women who had several fingers amputated, proving the slicer lacked adequate safety guards. |
| PITMAN MANUFACTURING | Bob Hicks obtained a $500,000 settlement for the wife of an electrician killed by a crane that collapsed, proving that the accident could have been prevented by having a pressure relief on the crane's hydraulics system. |
| UNNAMED AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER | In a lawsuit for the estate of a driver killed when he was ejected and dragged from his vehicle by the driver of a stolen vehicle in a high-speed police chase, David Wikstrom obtained a settlement of $1 million proving that the door latch on the client's vehicle was defectively designed contributing to his ejection from the vehicle. (Note: the defendant's true name is withheld pursuant to a confidentiality agreement) |
| CLOVER COTTON | Ken Javerbaum obtained a $600,000 settlement during trial for the adult daughter of a high-ranking government official who was seriously burned when her sweatshirt caught fire by contact with a gas stove. |
| CONDE'S FISH MARKET | The Javerbaum firm obtained a $750,000 settlement in favor of a news reporter who contracted ciguarterra food poisoning from eating grouper while on a news assignment. |
| MAINTECH | In an action for a hand injury received due to contact with the belt of a sort system at Federal Express, Bob Hicks obtained a $350,000 settlement against a maintenance company for failing to replace a pan guard. |
| BC BALLOON COMPANY | Ken Javerbaum obtained a $100,000 settlement for a client who was injured while riding a hot air balloon, proving that the balloon made a rapid decent due to a defect in the rip cord assembly. |