Honda Tried To "Win By Cheating"

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Tiral Laywers For Public Justice, Wins Victory For Justice

America Honda Motor Company (Honda) "deliberately" destroyed evidence in an auto defect case brought be a (then) 17 year old who became a quadriplegic due to a restraint system (seat belt) failure in her Honda Civic, according to the trial judge's sanction decision in Davis v. Honda (California Superior Court). The judge's decision found Honda and its expert witness, Robert Gratzinger, "wrongfully and intentionally altered the most significant physical evidence in the case" and tried to "win by cheating".

The judge later ordered the sealing and vacating of the sanctions decision after the parites settled their case. The sealing order essentially banned all publication and sharing of the decision, prohibiting anyone from mentioning the sanctions decision in any legal proceeding. Mr. Gratzinger continued to serve as an expert witness, testifying for automakers without anyone being able to bring up to the jury, Mr. Gratzinger's history of deliberately destroying evidence.

Then along came the good guys, Trial Lawyers For Public Justice (TLPJ) who, at their own expense, challenged the secrecy order on behalf of the Center for Auto Safety, a national consumer group that works to improve automobile safety and attorneys who represent victims of automobile defects. TLPJ won a major court victory for the public's "right to know" and for auto defect victims who Mr. Gratzinger tries to testify against ,when they obtained an order unsealing the sanctions decision. Now, if ever Mr. Gratzinger testifies as an expert witness in an auto defect case, his prior dirty deeds can be brought to the attention of jurors.

We are proud to be supports of and contributors to, the fine work of Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. Per their website:

Trial Lawyers for Public Justice is a national public interest law firm dedicated to using trial lawyers' skills and resources to create a more just society. TLPJ fights for justice through precedent setting and socially significant individual and class action litigation designed to enhance consumer and victims' rights environmental protection and safety, civil rights and civil liberties, workers' rights, America's civil justice system, and the protection of the poor and powerless. Trial Lawyers for Public Justice has special litigation projects that secure access to justice by battling unnecessary secrecy in the courts, mandatory arbitration abuse, federal preemption of injury victims' claims, and class action abuse