CVN screenshot of defense attorney Daniel Rodman delivering his closing argument
Santa Ana, CA - A California state court jury has returned a defense verdict in a long-running products liability lawsuit seeking up to $320 million in damages for a broken neck allegedly caused by a defectively-designed all-terrain vehicle, and the full trial was recorded gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.
The Orange County jury delivered their verdict on September 1st, the same day they finished hearing closing arguments in a trial that began in mid-July. They rejected claims from plaintiff John Van Camp that Yamaha’s 2016-model YXZ1000R ATV has a faulty rear suspension causing it to “buck” forward and that the vehicle’s rollover cage protection system failed to work properly.
Van Camp claimed the defective design resulted in a rollover accident that left him with a fractured neck and a major traumatic brain injury. His attorneys sought over $80 million in compensatory damages and up to $240 million in punitive damages, however Yamaha successfully argued the accident occurred due to Van Camp’s driving and not because of any defective design.
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The case stemmed from a 2019 accident in a sandy area called the Gemini Flats, where Van Camp took his son to drive off-road. His attorneys argued Yamaha knew for years about design problems with the 2016 YXZ’s rear suspension and rollover protection system, claiming the company received reports the rear suspension could cause the vehicle to buck “even on flat easy ground.”
Yamaha argued throughout the trial that the 2016 YXZ met all industry design standards, noting the rollover protection system worked since Van Camp’s son, who was riding as a passenger, emerged without any serious injuries.
The company’s attorneys also questioned the severity of Van Camp’s claimed injuries, characterizing his broken neck as “several small fractures” and emphatically denying that he ever suffered a TBI.
Plaintiff attorney April Bonifatto-Martinick, who represented Van Camp, told CVN after the trial she took the case to a jury following Yamaha’s refusal to make any offer to resolve the case and in the wake of a $26.3 million verdict in Orange County last year involving the same supposed roll cage defect in a 2016 Yamaha YXZ1000R.
CVN screenshot of plaintiff attorney David Duncan delivering his closing argument
“Yamaha never offered the Van Camps a single dollar. Not once in more than six years of litigation,” Bonifatto-Martinick told CVN. “Trial was not a choice this family made — it was the only option Yamaha left them, and it cost them 7-weeks in a courtroom and years of their lives to get there.”
Attorneys for Yamaha did not respond to a request for comment.
Bonifatto-Martinick described the Van Camp family as “disappointed “ by the outcome and said her team is evaluating post-trial motions and appellate options but declined to provide additional specifics.
She likened the case outcome to “David and Goliath and Goliath winning this one unfortunately” but did point to a notable aspect in the trial record that could be significant in other litigation involving Yamaha.
“We were able to get in Yamaha’s net worth of $7.4B since we had a live punitive damages claim,” she emphasized.
The Van Camps are also represented by David Duncan of Duncan law Firm PC.
Yamaha is represented by Daniel Rodman and Vaughn Crawford of Snell & Wilmer LLP.
The trial took place before Judge Shawn Nelson.
The case is captioned John Van Camp v. Yamaha Corp., case number 30-2023-01362621-CU-PL-CJC in Orange County Superior Court.
Email David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com
