News & Insights

Lightfoot Wins Alabama Supreme Court Victory for Bell Sports, Inc.

January 8, 2019

The Supreme Court of Alabama has affirmed a defense jury verdict in favor of Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC client Bell Sports, Inc. The firm won the original case, a product liability lawsuit in which plaintiffs sought $20 million, in September 2017. 

The plaintiffs appealed a ruling of the trial judge that barred them from introducing certain expert testimony as rebuttal evidence and asked the Supreme Court to order a new trial. In its brief to the court, Lightfoot argued the trial judge’s decision was within his jurisdiction on multiple grounds. The appellate team also demonstrated that the plaintiffs had failed to establish at trial that the evidence they sought to introduce was admissible. 

In its ruling, the Supreme Court affirmed the trial judge’s decision with no opinion, leaving in place the Tallapoosa County jury’s verdict in favor of Bell Sports.  

Members of the Lightfoot team included partners Harlan Prater, John G. Thompson and William H. Brooks, as well as associate Benjamin S. Willson.