According to an article in About Lawsuits, a bankruptcy judge approved a $24 million settlement for the family of a California longshoreman who brought a wrongful death lawsuit against Chrysler before the company went bankrupt.
The article said:
“The Chrysler wrongful death lawsuit was filed by the family of Richard Mraz, who was 38 years-old when he was killed in April 2004 when his 1992 Dodge Dakota pickup rolled over him while he was working at the Port of Los Angeles. The family alleged that the Chrysler truck had a defective transmission that allowed it to slip from park to reverse, resulting in the fatal head injury for Mraz. A Dodge Dakota pickup truck recall was issued in 2000 to fix the defect, but the Plaintiffs said that the fix did not work.”
The settlement is the result of the new Chrysler refusing to accept exposure to personal injury claims that occurred before the bankruptcy. This settlement will be paid out of the assets of the old Chrysler company and will most likely not receive full payment because the new Chrysler has the best and most valuable assets. Chapter 11 bankruptcy has been a powerful tool for Chrysler, protecting the company’s essential assets from liquidation by creditors allowing to gain a fresh financial start. Even legitimate claimants are finding it difficult to collect from Chrysler due to its bankruptcy filing.