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 jury was unable to reach a verdict.
Judge Cynthia Freeland granted a mistrial on March 4 after jurors informed her they could not reach a verdict following 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.
Attorneys for the two plaintiffs requested a combined award of $45 million in compensatory damages and unspecified punitive damages. They argued during the trial that all other major automotive manufacturers had stopped using solid front-axle systems years ago, and that the Jeep Wrangler is the only consumer car still using the “antiquated” system.
Attorney Jonathan Michaels of MLG Attorneys at Law, who represents the plaintiff, told CVN after the trial that the case will go before a new jury.
“Brittany Domingo and Heather Howell were severely injured in this crash, and we look forward to re-trying this case to bring them full justice,” Michaels said.
In addition to arguing the Jeep’s suspension system not only wasn’t defectively but was necessary to support its off-road capability, FCA’s attorneys also told jurors that Brittany Domingo was supposedly driving nearly 81 miles-per-hour when she veered off the road, and that electronic records don’t show she ever applied the brakes before flipping, which according to the defense could indicate she briefly fell asleep.
Attorneys for FCA declined to comment when contacted by CVN.
The case is captioned Domingo, et al. v. FCA US LLC., case number 37-2023-00034637-CU-PL-NC in San Diego County Superior Court.
