Ohio Court: Ford Motor Can Be Held Liable for Replacement Parts it Didn’t Manufacture

CLEVELAND –– An Ohio court has ruled that Ford Motor (NYSE:F) could be held liable for asbestos-containing brakes it did not manufacture, opining that the defendant “was aware that non-asbestos brakes could not be used in its vehicles unless it redesigned its braking system.”

In the Jan. 17 order, Judge Leo M. Spellacy of the Ohio Court of Common Pleas for Cuyahoga County said that since the defendant’s brake systems were “designed and required the use of asbestos-containing friction material,” they could be held liable for injuries that arose as a result of using the products.

The plaintiffs contend …