Proposed Firestone Settlement

Sep 19, 2003 6 Replies

Anyone get that proposed Firestone tire settlement in the mail?



Anyone have an idea what it means beyond millions for attorneys?



No, but I'd love to know about it. Tell us more, tell us more!

Oh, I got it in the mail the other day.

Here is a link that has most of it:

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There is something in it about incentive awards of $2,500 per plaintiff. I don't really understand it.

This seems to be the whole thing:

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It looks to me like that $2500 is for those who originally filed lawsuits. As I read it, owners of the affected tires just get new tires, if they haven't already.

You got it. The original plaintiff gets $2500, Firestone agrees to make a "high speed tire" and to conduct a $5 million consumer education program (read: advertising, that's what "we" get), and the lawyers get $9 million. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, doesn't it?

=Vic= Bear Gap, PA

Anth>

I'm not sure, Vic.

This IS a class action suit. "The plaintiff is Terri Shield, on behalf of herself, and all others similarly situated." I would guess it comes down to what similarly situated means.

All I see of any significance is that -

- The attorneys will get up to $19 million

- For seven years Firestone has to do a media campaign costing at least $5.1 million per year on tire safety. Which will really amount to a small part of their advertising budget and will amount to little more then advertising. - anyone who has not already gotten their old tires replaced for free can do so. The only thing different here is that before this settlement you were not able to get any remaining tires replaced as the "cutoff" dates had passed. So this may allow a few hundred more people to get free tires.

It's the all to common end of a class action lawsuit - lots of money for the attorneys and not much else.

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