Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- A federal appeals court has ordered Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. to release hundreds of documents on the design and construction of its tires.
A Cooper tire blew out during a 2005 van crash that killed eight Utah State University students and their instructor.
The Findlay, Ohio-based company says it makes good tires and blames the Sept. 26, 2005, crash on high speed, overloading and tire under-inflation.
Lawyers for families of the crash victims -- including two survivors -- say previously disclosed company documents raise questions about the integrity of all Cooper tires.
The Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court on Tuesday and ordered Cooper to share information about any defects in all of its tires.
"We respectfully disagree with the court's opinion but will abide by this pretrial ruling and comply fully with our discovery obligations," Cooper's investor-relations manager, Curtis Schneekloth, told The Associated Press on Friday.
"While we agree that any loss of life is tragic, we look forward to defending the integrity of our product at the upcoming trial," he said.
------
Information from: The Herald Journal
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
