The Cooper Firm

Zaboli v. Mazda

Nancy Zaboli was rendered a quadriplegic by the defective seatbelt in her 1992 Mazda Protege. Mrs. Zaboli was short-statured, and the automatic shoulder belt in her Protege was designed such that it would come across her neck instead of over her shoulder. Mrs. Zaboli was involved in a moderate (20-25 mph) accident, and the belt "clotheslined" her, causing her catastrophic injury. The firm not only proved this design was defective, but that it violated Mazda's own internal standards regarding belt fit. We also defeated Mazda's summary judgment motion, in which it argued the Zabolis' claims were preempted by the federal motor vehicle safety standards. We were able to secure a confidential settlement for the Zabolis that Mazda acknowledged was the most it had ever paid in a seatbelt case before trial. This settlement was structured to take care of Mrs. Zaboli for the rest of her life.

Millsapp v. Kia and TRW

Joyce Gail Millsapp was driving her 1996 Kia Sephia home from work when another car drove in front of her, causing a collision. Mrs. Millsapp was wearing her seatbelt, and her airbag deployed. Tragically, both the seatbelt and the airbag were defective. The seatbelt contained 16 inches of extra webbing, allowing her to move too far forward, and the airbag was too large, causing her head to snap back. As a result, Mrs. Millsapp is a quadriplegic. As part of its exhaustive investigation, the firm secured testimony from a former TRW engineer involved in the development of the airbag at issue, who testified that the airbag was defective and dangerous for drivers like Mrs. Millsapp. Shortly after we disclosed this evidence, the case settled for a substantial sum that will pay for Mrs. Millsapp's needs for the rest of her life.

Markstein v. DaimlerChrysler, TRW, Honeywell, and Autoliv

Glenn Markstein was killed in a head-on collision in his 1994 Chrysler LeBaron convertible. His airbag failed to deploy, and his seatbelt failed to restrain him, allowing his head to strike the windshield header. During the case, the firm uncovered evidence that Chrysler had failed to adequately test its airbag sensor system in collisions like Mr. Markstein's. At a mediation requested by the defendants, we were able to negotiate a significant confidential settlement for Mrs. Markstein and her two children.

Adamson v. General Motors

Mary Adamson was riding as a passenger in the center rear seat position of a 1987 Pontiac 6000 that was involved in a low-speed frontal collision with another car. Ms. Adamson was wearing the lap-only seat belt provided by General Motors. The lap belt caused severe abdominal injuries to Ms. Adamson, which resulted in her death after seven months of hospitalization. Through intensive discovery, the firm proved that GM knew of the dangers posed by lap belts and failed to install safer three-point lap/shoulder belts or to warn passengers such as Ms. Adamson of the dangers. We opposed GM's motion to dismiss the case under the ten-year statute of repose by demonstrating to the court that GM acted with reckless disregard in designing the vehicle. While that motion was pending, GM agreed to pay Ms. Adamson's family a substantial confidential settlement.

Smith v. Nissan

Jeffrey Smith was involved in an accident as a passenger in a 1994 Nissan Altima. The airbag deployed and struck Mr. Smith in his face, causing permanent injury to his left eye. The injury was due to the phenomenon known as "bag slap," which resulted from the defective design of the Altima airbag. This defect ultimately forced Nissan to recall the 1994 Altimas. We were able to negotiate a sizable confidential settlement for Mr. Smith.

Cox v. Toyota

Toni Cox was riding in the front passenger seat of a 1986 Toyota Cressida when another car collided with her vehicle. The seat belt system in the front seats consisted of a motorized passive shoulder belt (the kind that runs along a track in the roof rail) and manual lap belt. Due to defects in the design and geometry of the shoulder belt, Ms. Cox sustained severe and permanent internal abdominal injuries in the accident. We were brought into the case by another law firm after Toyota filed a summary judgment motion alleging federal preemption. We had defeated a similar motion in the Zaboli v. Mazda case. After we filed our opposition to the motion, Toyota agreed to pay Ms. Cox a significant confidential sum.

Tran v. Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota settled a case involving a 1993 Toyota Cressida. Mai Tran was the belted driver of the Cressida when she was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. Mai sustained a broken neck resulting in quadriplegia. Mai alleged that the automatic shoulder belt in the Cressida rode up on her neck during the collision and, ultimately, broke her neck. Mai and her husband Nader, settled with Toyota for a confidential amount.