Jason Roberts v. General Motors Corporation
After several years of discovery, a Texas district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit against General Motors brought by the injured driver of a UPS delivery van. In November 2000, Roberts lost control of the van near Zavalla, Texas and ran into a tree causing severe and disfiguring facial injuries. Roberts sued GM, alleging the van was defective because it was equipped with a lap-only seatbelt, instead of a lap and shoulder belt, and alleging the van was unstable. In the face of challenges to his expert witnesses’ testimony, Roberts voluntarily dropped the stability defect claim.
In granting GM’s Motion for Summary Judgment, Judge Paul E. White agreed with GM that Roberts’ claims were federally pre-empted by applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and that Roberts failed to prove that his injuries were caused by a defective condition of the van. Roberts was represented by Nacogdoches attorney Reese Andrews. GM was defended by Karl Rivas = of the San Antonio firm of Prichard, Hawkins, McFarland & Young.