BEAUMONT, Texas (Jan. 8, 2004) — A Texas state district court judge held a hearing yesterday on 110 objections filed on a $75 million-plus class-action lawsuit settlement agreement proposed by Bridgestone/Firestone.
Issued last summer, the settlement proposal includes a pledge on BFS's part to place cap plies on most sizes of Firestone Wilderness and Destination radial tires, a $15 million consumer education program and $19 million for plaintiffs' attorneys.
“The settlement as crafted now is unjust,” said Monica Vaughan, a Beaumont attorney representing some of the objectors to the settlement. “It doesn't compensate consumers for their very real losses.”
A spokeswoman for Nashville, Tenn.-based BFS said that 110 is a small number of objections compared with the 10-15 million potential members of the class. “We believe it (the settlement) is fair and in the best interests of everyone concerned,” she said.
Judge Donald Floyd, meanwhile, said he would issue his ruling on the objections within the next three to four weeks.