CVN screenshots of plaintiff attorney Jonathan Michaels, left, and defense attorney Greg Gilmer, right, delivering their closing arguments
San Diego, CA - A long-running products liability trial over an allegedly defective front axle suspension system in a Jeep Wrangler that supposedly caused a single-vehicle accident resulting in two serious traumatic brain injuries has ended in a mistrial after a California state court jury was unable to reach a verdict.
Judge Cynthia Freeland granted the mistrial on March 4 when jurors informed her they could not render a verdict after hearing closing arguments on February 26. Plaintiffs Brittany Domingo and Heather Howell accuse FCA US LLC, historically known as Chrysler, of manufacturing the 2019 Jeep Wrangler using a front axle suspension system the company supposedly knew could cause dangerous instability. However FCA argued the vehicle met all federal safety standards, and that the crash was the result of driver error.
The trial was recorded gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network (‘CVN’) including all witness testimony, however the plaintiff opening statements are not available due to a technical error. Subscribers to CVN’s online trial video library get unlimited on-demand access to the full proceedings, in addition to hundreds of other trials featuring many of the top plaintiff and defense attorneys practicing today in California and throughout the country.
Attorneys for the two plaintiffs requested a combined award of $45 million in compensatory damages and unspecified punitive damages. They argued during trial that all other major automotive manufacturers stopped using solid front axle systems years ago, and that the Jeep Wrangler is the only consumer car still using the “antiquated” system.
The plaintiffs alleged that in 2022 the Jeep in question developed instability informally referred to as a “death wobble” that caused it to veer off the freeway, flip over and come to rest in a drainage ditch. They accuse FCA of receiving numerous consumer complaints about “death wobble” issues with Jeep Wranglers and performing internal studies that confirmed the problem but supposedly failing to alert consumers.
Attorney Jonathan Michaels of MLG Attorneys at Law, who represents the plaintiffs, told CVN after the trial that the case will go before a new jury.
“Brittany Domingo and Heather Howell were severely injured in this crash, and we look forward to re-trying this case to bring them full justice,” Michaels said.
FCA, represented by attorneys from Klein Thomas Lee & Fresard, argued during trial that FCA submits their vehicles to extensive safety testing, and that the 2019 Jeep met every federal safety standard. They rejected the argument solid front axels are antiquated, suggesting it’s not surprising only Jeeps use them considering Jeeps offer unique capabilities compared to other off-road vehicles.
In addition to arguing the Jeep’s suspension system not only wasn’t defectively designed but was necessary to support its off-road capability, FCA’s attorneys also told jurors that Brittany Domingo was supposedly driving nearly 81 miles-per-hour when she veered off the road, and that electronic records don’t show she ever applied the brakes before flipping, which according to the defense could indicate she briefly fell asleep.
Attorneys for FCA declined to comment when contacted by CVN.
A status conference is set for April to determine the possible timeline for a retrial.
The case is captioned Domingo, et al. v. FCA US LLC., case number 37-2023-00034637-CU-PL-NC in San Diego County Superior Court.
Email David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com