SACRAMENTO – An insurer is suing an auto manufacturer alleging that it knowingly manufactured defective vehicles and sold them to consumers.
Universal North America Insurance Co. filed a complaint on March 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California against Ford Motor Co., citing liability and negligence.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that it provided property insurance to an Elk Grove man whose home was damaged after a 2001 Ford Expedition caught on fire while in the garage in 2014. The suit states the fire was caused by the vehicle's defective cruise control system, which Ford previously recalled due to the risk of fire. The plaintiff holds Ford Motor Co. responsible because the defendant allegedly manufactured and eventually sold said vehicles to consumers despite knowing of the defects.
The plaintiff seeks the following: damages of $256,562.84, interest, all legal fees and any other relief as the court deems just. It is represented by Dean A. Alper of Alper & McCulloch in Greenbrae.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California Case number 2:16-at-00272