Posts Tagged ‘ Volkswagon ’

5 of the Highest Settlement Awards for 2010

December 29th, 2010. By Kristine B

Once again we find ourselves at the end of a year—and it’s been a pretty big year for lawsuits. So, in celebration of the year that was, we’ve compiled some of the biggest settlements—in terms of amount of the award or settlement—of 2010. My deepest thanks to the incredibly talented, wonderful, smart, beautiful, fantastic duo of Lucy C. and Abi K. for helping me compile this list…

Personal Injury Lawsuits 

When it came to personal injury, wrongful death and negligence lawsuits, there were some pretty large awards and settlements given out in 2010. 

One settlement of $176 million was approved in a lawsuit filed after a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island killed 100 people. The settlement money will go to survivors of the fire who suffered serious injury and to the children who lost parents in the fire. 

Meanwhile, in one of the largest jury awards ever in the US, a jury in El Paso awarded $132 million to victims of a bus crash in which two people were killed and several others were injured. The vehicle reportedly crashed when the driver began speeding and eating at the same time. The bus rolled down an embankment. 

Defective Products 

Speaking of automobiles, a settlement was reached earlier this year between Volkswagen of America, Inc. and vehicle owners who said their cars leaked during rainstorms. The defective product lawsuit alleged certain Volkswagen and Audi models contained design defects that allowed water to enter the passenger component and, in some cases, damaged electronic components of the vehicle. As part of the settlement, Audi was required to pay $10,000 to each of the class representatives, $9.2 million in fees and $675,000 in costs for the class-counsel firms. 

And in another defective product lawsuit, Medtronic agreed to pay $268 million to settle lawsuits regarding the company’s Sprint Fidelis Leads. The leads were alleged to have been defectively designed, allowing the wires to crack and causing unnecessary shocks to patients’ hearts. 

And, in a defective drugs lawsuit, the maker of Seroquel agreed to pay 17,500 patients a total of $198 million to settle allegations that the medication caused illnesses such as diabetes. 

Tags: 2010 Highest Settlements, Bus Accident, El Paso, Medtronic, Rhode Island, Seroquel, Settlements, Volkswagon
Posted in Emerging Issues, Settlement | 3 Comments »