John Van Camp v. Yamaha Corp.

Summary

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.

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.

Outcome

Verdict for the defense