The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson brought justice to a Dallas-area family in an injury trial stemming from defective automobile seats in the owner’s Lexus. During the two-week trial, which ended last week, Branson and his trial team proved that defects to the front seats of the family’s Lexus ES 300 resulted in a failure that caused serious injuries to their two young children during a 2016 rear-end collision.
Branson argued that the rear impact caused the front seats to fail and collapse back into the two children’s seats, causing them to suffer serious head trauma and other injuries. After a brief deliberation, the jury found that the front seats in the ES 300 were unreasonably dangerous and the defendants failed to warn about those dangers. The jury awarded the combined verdict of more than $242.1 million to the family, which includes more than $143.6 million in punitive damages after jurors agreed that the actions of defendants Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Sales amounted to gross negligence.
“This is a danger that Toyota has known about,” Branson said. “This company has had plenty of time to design around these safety shortcomings or at least provide the public with warnings. Our children deserve better.”
The case is Benjamin Thomas Reavis and Kristi Carol Reavis et al. v Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.; Toyota Motor Corporation et al., Cause No. DC-16-15296 in the 134th Judicial District in Dallas County. Branson’s trial team included Debbie Dudley Branson, Chip Brooker and Eric Stahl.
Leaders in the Law recently covered another of the firm’s high-profile results here.