Automotive Litigation & Autonomous Vehicles
GRSM has extensive experience providing legal services to the automotive industry. Practicing nationally in automotive product liability, automotive class action, and consumer warranty and fraud litigation, we understand the complex competing considerations involved in product design and development, testing, system integration, and manufacturing, and we use our experience to win cases for our clients.
We have defended automotive product liability claims for a wide range of automotive products, systems, sub-systems, and components including allegations of defect related to airbags, seat belts/restraints, fuel systems, vehicle control and stability systems, roof structures, window glass/glazing, powertrains (including engines and transmissions), seats/seatbacks, electrical systems, ride and handling, suspension, wheels, tires brakes, post-collision fires, and crashworthiness claims. We defend, including through trial, personal injury, wrongful death, property damage claims, recalls, and related product defect litigation across the country. We have also defended both injury and economic loss class actions, consumer warranty and consumer fraud claims. Our product liability lawyers represent clients in courts across the country in a wide range of complex, high-profile matters involving significant exposure to our clients in the most challenging jurisdictions around the country.
In addition to our highly regarded trial work, the automotive product liability group is also well versed in complex case management and discovery counsel services, including e-discovery. Being both a strategic business partner and avid defender of our clients’ interests, our defense team counsels our clients on all aspects of their business and early in any litigation partners with our clients to leverage the best outcome possible.
Advancement and Development
Further, our team is regularly involved with our clients on advancement and development of their current businesses. Towards that end, we have handled, counseled, and defended autonomous vehicle, ride-sharing, and alternative mobility transportation modes (bikes, scooters, vans, shuttles, and autonomous vehicles). In fact, our team handled the first lawsuit filed in the country involving an accident of an autonomous vehicle which was in testing, pre-production, in the Bay Area. The case was one of first impression for the entire automotive industry and had landmark implications on the future of all of our clients’ businesses.
Consumer Warranty and Fraud Litigation
Lastly, in the context of automotive consumer warranty and consumer fraud litigation, we have handled thousands of breach of warranty cases and consumer fraud cases in California. We have also tried cases to verdict with such allegations and are actively involved in appellate issues of first impression in this developing area of the law. We are also actively involved in the evaluation of defense strategies, briefing, and legal arguments for defending these type of cases pre-trial.