Kent Emison and Hoyt Tessener | Batts v. Ford Motor Company | $31 million settlement

This week, your hosts Steve Lowry and Yvonne Godfrey interview Kent Emison of Langdon & Emison (https://www.langdonemison.com/) and Hoyt Tessener of James Scott Farrin (https://www.farrin.com/).

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Episode Details:

Missouri personal injury lawyer Kent Emison of Langdon & Emison and North Carolina trial lawyer Hoyt Tessener of James Scott Farrin share how they secured justice for an 11-year-old boy who was paralyzed in a car crash due to an inadequate seat belt design. Positioned in the rear center seat of his father's 1999 Ford Escort, Che-Val Batts' two-point lap belt jackknifed him when another car suddenly pulled out in front of the Escort, leaving Che-Val with damage to his internal organs and spinal cord, rendering him a paraplegic. The other passengers, who were restrained by three-point seat belts, sustained significantly less severe injuries. Despite knowing the higher safety rating of three-point seatbelts and including these more effective restraints in other models, Ford continued to manufacture Escorts with a rear center seat two-point seat belt, violating the company's own safety policies. The defense's attempts to blame Che-Val's injuries on his own misplacement of the lap belt swayed some Nash County, North Carolina jurors and resulted in a hung jury. The case was ultimately settled for $31 million, with details of the settlement remaining confidential.

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Guest Bio:

Kent Emison

A Fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and a frequent lecturer to bar associations and trial lawyer groups nationwide, Kent devotes 100 percent of his practice to litigation in product liability, motor vehicle accidents, and other cases involving personal injury and wrongful death. In that role he has served as lead trial counsel in numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements and has handled cases all across the United States, from Florida to Hawaii.

Best Lawyers in America named Kent "Lawyer of the Year" for 2018 for personal injury plaintiffs' litigation for the Kansas City metro area. In 2017 he received the Thomas G. Strong Trial Attorney Award from the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys for his leadership in the profession. Kent’s reputation in the field is due to his track record of obtaining the maximum compensation for injured individuals and for families who have lost loved ones. Throughout his career he has been an advocate of trial by jury and is seen as a leader in the profession.

For the past three consecutive years Kent has been selected as one of the top 100 lawyers in Missouri and Kansas by the peer review process Super Lawyers. American Lawyer magazine and Martindale-Hubbell named him a “Top rated personal injury lawyer” for 2013, and in 2012 he was honored by Missouri Lawyers Weekly as part of its “Lawyer of the Year” program. This award was for his leadership of Langdon & Emison and his service to the profession and the community. Best Lawyers in America named Kent the “Lawyer of the Year” for plaintiff’s personal injury litigation, Kansas City region, for both 2011 and 2014.

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Hoyt Tessener

Litigation attorney Hoyt Tessener tries the really tough cases – and he has for more than 30 years. Tough strategically. Tough emotionally. The trucking accidents whose evidence gives you chills. The personal injury cases that can bring an otherwise “impartial” jury to tears. Cases that few have the stomach to try. Confidently. Thoroughly. Compassionately.

Hoyt joined the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in 2017 so he could try these tough cases with the resources and technology behind him to take his legendary litigation efforts to the next level. He is a shareholder of the firm.

Admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and having tried over 100 cases in state and federal courts throughout North Carolina with multiple verdict awards of $1,000,000 or more, lawyers and judges and others know Hoyt for his confidence, tenacity, and meticulous preparation.

His clients know him as their champion.

The one who will fight tooth and nail for them. Honest. Humble. Relatable.

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Free Resources:

Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 1

Stages Of A Jury Trial - Part 2