Sheryl Renae Goforth v. General Motors Corp. and Takata Corp.
May 23, 2008OUTCOME: The parties settled before trial for a confidential amount.
On July 29, 2005, plaintiff was a front-seat passenger in a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt traveling west on Highway 377 in Ganbury when the sedan collided with the side of a pickup at an intersection, causing ... the truck to roll over. The car's passenger-side airbag system was designed by the GM Corp., while the passenger-side seat belt was manufactured by Takata Corp. Plaintiff's forehead struck the windshield, resulting is severe lacerations requiring plastic surgery. She claimed past medical bills of $150,000 and that she would require future medical treatments. Goforth sued GM and Takata for products liability, alleging that the airbag failed to deploy, despite expressly warranting in the car's owner manual that it would deploy in frontal collisions at speeds as low as 12-16 mph. She also claimed the seat belt failed to restrain her because it was defectively designed. Defense argued drivers were fully to blame for any injury sustained in the crash, claiming both seat belt and air bag were in full compliance with all federal safety standards.
