Goodyear summoned to court over defective tire case
The company Goodyear is suspected of concealing defects in certain models of truck tires that could have caused the death of several people. According to media reports, on May 13, the case will be heard in the court of Besancon (France), and charges of "fraud" and "manslaughter" are possible.
According to prosecutor Etienne Manteau, the charges also relate to "deceptive trade practices", and if Goodyear is found guilty on this count, the fine could be up to 10% of the company's turnover.
The company is accused of knowing about a defect in two models of truck tires: Goodyear Marathon LHS II and II+, and not properly informing customers about it, and although a voluntary recall procedure was launched in 2013, it is believed that only 50% of the defective products were recalled.
Manteau noted that two legal entities were summoned to court: SAS Goodyear France, which is responsible for tire distribution in France, and SAS Goodyear Operations, which manufactured the tires and is based in Luxembourg. The judge will hear the companies' legal representatives to decide whether to bring charges on the three discussed counts.
Currently, an investigation is underway in Besancon into three accidents that resulted in the deaths of a total of four people. In May 2024, as part of the investigation, searches were carried out at several Goodyear offices, including in Luxembourg and the company's European headquarters in Brussels.
According to the investigation, the cause of the accidents was the bursting of tires, which caused the drivers to lose control of the vehicle. In each case, experts concluded that the tires failed due to a manufacturing defect.
Initially, the investigation was launched on charges of manslaughter, which could have resulted in a fine of 375,000 euros, which, according to Manteau, "is unlikely to have significant implications" for the company. Now, additional charges have been added, which could potentially lead to much more serious consequences for the manufacturer.
The investigation was launched in 2016 after Sophie Rolle, the widow of a truck driver who died in an accident on the A36 motorway in the Doubs department in July 2014, filed a lawsuit requesting to be allowed to act as a civil party.
After the investigation into the circumstances of the accident was dropped, the former kindergarten worker and mother of three began her own investigation, collecting data on truck accidents, as she is convinced that a defective tire caused her husband's death.
Photo: macommune.info / Alexane Alfaro