Lewis Brisbois Secures Defense Verdict for Manufacturer in High-Value Products Liability Case

San Diego, California (December 19, 2018) – A California team led by San Diego Partner Timothy Watson and Sacramento Associate Maren MacAdam recently secured a defense verdict for an industrial machinery manufacturer in a multi-million-dollar strict products liability and negligence case.

The plaintiff, an employee of a third party, lost his hand while performing maintenance on a 28-year-old filling and packaging machine. He brought suit against our client and, after four years of pre-trial litigation, asked for $10 million at trial.

Our co-defendant settled on the eve of trial, creating some witness and evidence issues. However, during a two-week trial in San Joaquin Superior Court in Stockton, CA, we were able to prove that the third-party employer had modified the machine at issue without providing any notice to our client about the modification. Additionally, we were able to prove that the plaintiff was negligent and largely responsible for his own injuries.

After deliberating for just over an hour and a half, the jury returned a verdict in favor of our client.