Defense Verdict for Large Tire Manufacturer

Huie partner Gordon Sproule and associate Maggie Donlon recently secured a defense verdict for a tire manufacturer in a Mississippi lawsuit involving a tire warranty challenge.

Challenge

Plaintiff sued our client, a tire manufacturer, in the Justice Court of Madison County, Mississippi claiming that his tires were defective and dangerous. Plaintiff had purchased four high performance, race-inspired tires for his SUV from a local tire dealer, and the tires needed to be replaced before they reached 15,000 miles. Plaintiff sought replacement tires from our client and claimed he was entitled to these new tires under a standard mileage warranty. However, the tires originally purchased from the local tire dealer were not warrantied for mileage due to their unique design. Plaintiff alleged that the tires should have been warranted for a minimally adequate amount of mileage, and because the tires lasted less than 15,000 miles, he was entitled to full compensation.

Strategy

Huie approached this case head-on by arguing that our client was not required to reimburse the Plaintiff because our client does not offer a mileage warranty, nor has it ever promoted a mileage warranty, for this particular tire due to the nature of its compound, construction, and intended vehicle application. This tire is not designed to last any certain or set amount of miles. Huie also produced evidence illustrating that our client has stated publicly, in multiple publications, that this tire is not covered by a mileage warranty, and Plaintiff would have known this had he performed any research into the tire he chose to purchase.

Results

After hearing all arguments, and from our client directly, the Justice Court Judge rendered a defense verdict in favor of the tire manufacturer.