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American Morning

Opening Statements in Firestone Case

Aired August 13, 2001 - 09:35   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go right down to McAllen, Texas, where Ed Lavandera is standing by where Bridgestone/Firestone is going to be going to court now to face the first lawsuit filed against him for tire defects.

Ed, take it away. I think we can hear you now.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Leon. Opening statements are set to begin in less than half an hour here in a federal courtroom in McAllen, Texas. This is the first lawsuit against the tire maker that, if there is no settlement here in the next half hour, that will be heard in court. There have been about 400 lawsuits filed against Firestone. The company says it has settled about 40 percent of those cases.

Now, the family that has sued the tire maker is the Rodriguez family from south Texas. The family arrived -- Marisa Rodriguez, who you see in the wheelchair, their family was driving back from Monterey, Mexico in March of last year when the family's '98 Ford Explorer rolled over. Now, it did have the tires that were later recalled in August of last year. The family of course, blaming Firestone and Ford, and naming both companies in this lawsuit. Ford has settled out of this lawsuit with the family already. Firestone has not. And that is why we are here today.

The tire maker says it will focus its defense on attacking the design problems -- what it calls the design problems -- with the Ford Explorer, and that will be part of their defense this morning. And the Rodriguez family saying that the tires in this case were faulty and that that was the reason that it led to the rollover -- Leon?

HARRIS: Thank you very much, Ed Lavandera in McAllen, Texas.

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