Domingo v. FCA US LLC

Summary

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.

Outcome

Mistrial

Blog Posts

Lengthy $45M+ Jeep Design Defect Trial Ends With Hung Jury: Watch Online via CVN
Mar 11, 2026

Case Information

Attorneys

Witnesses

Plaintiff: Domingo, Brittany
Defense: FCA US LLC

Judge: Cynthia Freeland
Jurisdiction: Superior Court of California, San Diego County
Court: North County Regional Center

Case Number: 37-2023-00034637-CU-PL-NC
Industry: Automotive, Transportation
Practice Area: Products Liability

Plaintiff

Domingo, Brittany

Defense

FCA US LLC

Lay Witnesses

Sessions

Attorney
Witness
Witness Expertise
Type
Description

AM Session

Openings

5 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	General Case Activities
00:02:45	Opening Statement	Gilmer, Greg
01:16:05	Break
01:35:42	Witness Direct Examination		DeLong, Ruth	Video Recording
02:50:06	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

6 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Larkin, Susan		In Person
00:48:55	Witness Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Larkin, Susan		In Person
01:19:40	Break
01:37:30	Witness Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Larkin, Susan		In Person
02:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Schreiber , Brett	Okcuoglu, Murat	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
02:46:44	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

4 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Schreiber , Brett	Okcuoglu, Murat	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
01:24:01	Break
01:41:01	Witness Direct Examination	Schreiber , Brett	Okcuoglu, Murat	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
02:53:22	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

5 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Schreiber , Brett	Okcuoglu, Murat	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
00:35:20	Witness Cross Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Okcuoglu, Murat	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
01:23:40	Break
01:42:10	Witness Cross Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Okcuoglu, Murat	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
02:55:45	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

6 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Cross Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Okcuoglu, Murat	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
00:55:11	Witness Direct Examination		Cades, Dr. David Ph.D.	Biomechanics	Video Recording
01:20:23	Break
01:40:45	Witness Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Stone, Dr. Amanda Ph.D.	Biomechanics	In Person
02:45:53	Witness Cross Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Stone, Dr. Amanda Ph.D.	Biomechanics	In Person
02:54:22	End of Session

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

11 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Cross Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Stone, Dr. Amanda Ph.D.	Biomechanics	In Person
00:54:03	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Stone, Dr. Amanda Ph.D.	Biomechanics	In Person
01:07:39	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Stone, Dr. Amanda Ph.D.	Biomechanics	In Person
01:10:05	Witness Direct Examination		Carstairs, Dr. Shaun M.D.	Emergency Medicine	In Person
01:29:35	Break
01:46:25	Witness Direct Examination		Carstairs, Dr. Shaun M.D.	Emergency Medicine	In Person
02:10:08	Witness Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Carstairs, Dr. Shaun M.D.	Emergency Medicine	In Person
02:31:40	Witness Re-Direct Examination		Carstairs, Dr. Shaun M.D.	Emergency Medicine	In Person
02:33:38	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Carstairs, Dr. Shaun M.D.	Emergency Medicine	In Person
02:34:17	Witness Direct Examination		Terry, Richard		Video Recording
02:56:45	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

13 Chapters

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

7 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Eagan , Travis	Lobatz, Dr. Michael M.D.	Neurology	In Person
01:12:03	Witness Cross Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Lobatz, Dr. Michael M.D.	Neurology	In Person
01:28:43	Break
01:46:00	Witness Cross Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Lobatz, Dr. Michael M.D.	Neurology	In Person
02:00:23	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Eagan , Travis	Lobatz, Dr. Michael M.D.	Neurology	In Person
02:04:25	Witness Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Zackler, Dr. Lester M.D.	Mental Health - Psychiatry, Psychology, & Counseling	In Person
03:00:05	End of Session

FEB

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

7 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Roe, Lisa	In Person
00:47:02	Witness Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Roe, Lisa	In Person
01:04:37	Witness Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Domingo, Brittany	In Person
01:25:47	Break
01:45:37	Witness Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Domingo, Brittany	In Person
02:37:18	Witness Cross Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Domingo, Brittany	In Person
02:58:03	End of Session

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

8 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Zackler, Dr. Lester M.D.	Mental Health - Psychiatry, Psychology, & Counseling	In Person
00:42:58	Witness Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Zackler, Dr. Lester M.D.	Mental Health - Psychiatry, Psychology, & Counseling	In Person
01:14:00	Break
01:30:42	Witness Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Zackler, Dr. Lester M.D.	Mental Health - Psychiatry, Psychology, & Counseling	In Person
02:02:46	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Zackler, Dr. Lester M.D.	Mental Health - Psychiatry, Psychology, & Counseling	In Person
02:08:17	Witness Direct Examination		White, Samuel	Highway & Traffic Safety	Video Recording
02:29:28	Witness Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Roe, Lisa		In Person
02:43:19	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

9 Chapters

PM Session

Plaintiff Witness(es)

9 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Howell, Heather		In Person
00:31:48	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Howell, Heather		In Person
00:38:05	Witness Direct Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Boone, Dr. Kyle Ph.D.		In Person
01:18:00	Witness Cross Examination	Eagan , Travis	Boone, Dr. Kyle Ph.D.		In Person
01:27:47	Break
01:46:50	Witness Cross Examination	Eagan , Travis	Boone, Dr. Kyle Ph.D.		In Person
01:57:25	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Boone, Dr. Kyle Ph.D.		In Person
02:02:50	Witness Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	White, Samuel	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
02:54:42	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Defense Witness(es)

10 Chapters

PM Session

Defense Witness(es)

8 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Cross Examination		Kulig, Dr. Ken M.D.	Pharmacy & Toxicology	In Person
00:07:16	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Kulig, Dr. Ken M.D.	Pharmacy & Toxicology	In Person
00:13:03	Witness Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Contreras, Kenneth		In Person
00:49:21	Witness Cross Examination	Schreiber , Brett	Contreras, Kenneth		In Person
01:22:43	Break
01:41:06	Witness Direct Examination		Moazzaz , Dr. Payam M.D.	Orthopedics	Video Recording
01:57:25	Witness Direct Examination		Wackler, Michael		Video Recording
02:51:32	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Defense Witness(es)

12 Chapters

PM Session

Defense Witness(es)

5 Chapters

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	Witness Direct Examination		Burks, Dr. James M.D.	Other Medicine	Video Recording
00:11:07	Witness Direct Examination		Strachan, Carolyn	Mental Health - Psychiatry, Psychology, & Counseling	Video Recording
00:48:10	Break
01:24:57	Witness Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Pascarella, Mr. Robert	Engineering	In Person
02:34:55	End of Session

FEB

AM Session

Defense Witness(es)

7 Chapters

PM Session

Defense Witness(es)

4 Chapters

FEB

AM Session

Closings

4 Chapters

PM Session

Closings

5 Chapters

FEB

AM Session

Closings

4 Chapters

MAR

PM Session

Other

4 Chapters

MAR

Recording Disclaimer: This proceeding was recorded in full.

Domingo v. FCA US LLC

Summary

Outcome

Blog Posts

Sessions

Suggest a Trial

CVN Essentials

Video Library

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	General Case Activities
00:01:58	Witness Direct Examination		Terry, Richard		Video Recording
00:14:50	Witness Direct Examination	Eagan , Travis	Bayona, Officer Michael		In Person
00:41:00	Witness Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Bayona, Officer Michael		In Person
00:58:47	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Eagan , Travis	Bayona, Officer Michael		In Person
01:02:02	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Bayona, Officer Michael		In Person
01:03:05	Break
01:21:09	Witness Direct Examination		Dym, Dr. Jean-Paul M.D.	Radiology	In Person
02:01:10	Witness Cross Examination		Dym, Dr. Jean-Paul M.D.	Radiology	In Person
02:16:55	Witness Re-Direct Examination		Dym, Dr. Jean-Paul M.D.	Radiology	In Person
02:20:38	Witness Re-Cross Examination		Dym, Dr. Jean-Paul M.D.	Radiology	In Person
02:22:20	Witness Direct Examination	Eagan , Travis	Lobatz, Dr. Michael M.D.	Neurology	In Person
02:39:23	End of Session

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Presence
00:00:00	General Case Activities
00:02:00	Witness Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Domingo, Brittany	In Person
00:48:50	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Domingo, Brittany	In Person
00:57:25	Break
01:12:45	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Domingo, Brittany	In Person
01:16:20	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Domingo, Brittany	In Person
01:20:15	Witness Direct Examination	Michaels, Jonathan	Howell, Heather	In Person
02:25:39	Witness Cross Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Howell, Heather	In Person
02:52:55	End of Session

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	General Case Activities
00:01:53	Witness Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	White, Samuel	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
00:13:53	Witness Cross Examination	Schreiber , Brett	White, Samuel	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
00:37:47	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	White, Samuel	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
00:45:47	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Schreiber , Brett	White, Samuel	Highway & Traffic Safety	In Person
00:48:25	Witness Direct Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Kulig, Dr. Ken M.D.	Pharmacy & Toxicology	In Person
01:04:15	Break
01:22:35	Witness Direct Examination	Wilner, Melissa	Kulig, Dr. Ken M.D.	Pharmacy & Toxicology	In Person
02:13:35	Witness Cross Examination	Whitaker, Shannon	Kulig, Dr. Ken M.D.	Pharmacy & Toxicology	In Person
02:32:48	End of Session

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	General Case Activities
00:02:20	Witness Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Mittelstadt, Tyrel		In Person
00:25:10	Witness Cross Examination	Schreiber , Brett	Mittelstadt, Tyrel		In Person
00:39:00	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Mittelstadt, Tyrel		In Person
00:40:37	Witness Direct Examination	Ford, Brendan	Peatman, Dr. Thomas M.D.	Orthopedics	In Person
01:19:25	Break
01:37:20	Witness Direct Examination	Ford, Brendan	Peatman, Dr. Thomas M.D.	Orthopedics	In Person
02:25:20	General Case Activities		Peatman, Dr. Thomas M.D.	Orthopedics	In Person
02:26:30	Witness Cross Examination	Wong, Kristyn	Peatman, Dr. Thomas M.D.	Orthopedics	In Person
02:34:38	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Ford, Brendan	Peatman, Dr. Thomas M.D.	Orthopedics	In Person
02:35:58	Witness Re-Cross Examination	Wong, Kristyn	Peatman, Dr. Thomas M.D.	Orthopedics	In Person
02:40:06	End of Session

	Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
00:00:00	General Case Activities
00:02:15	Witness Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Pascarella, Mr. Robert	Engineering	In Person
01:12:55	Break
01:36:29	Witness Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Pascarella, Mr. Robert	Engineering	In Person
01:41:52	Witness Cross Examination		Pascarella, Mr. Robert	Engineering	In Person
02:45:03	Witness Re-Direct Examination	Gilmer, Greg	Pascarella, Mr. Robert	Engineering	In Person
02:49:01	End of Session

	Description	Attorney
00:00:00	General Case Activities
00:39:25	Break
01:30:15	Closing Statement	Michaels, Jonathan
02:50:57	End of Session

	Description	Attorney
00:00:00	General Case Activities
00:02:37	Closing Statement	Schreiber , Brett
00:48:17	General Case Activities
01:03:28	End of Session

			Description	Attorney	Witness	Witness Expertise	Presence
		00:00:00	General Case Activities
		00:12:20	General Case Activities
		00:26:00	General Case Activities
		00:28:36	End of Session