U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker, in April 2022, granted Honda’s motion to strike Williams’ expert witnesses, citing repeated delays and cancellations of scheduled depositions. Concurrently, the judge awarded summary judgment in favor of Honda, emphasizing Williams’ conduct’s prejudicial impact on the case.
Williams Argues Unprecedented Sanctions Motion
Williams asserted in her petition that the sanctions motion was the first Honda had ever filed in the lawsuit, initiated after a 2017 crash that left her left eye permanently injured. The case, initially filed in 2020, was scheduled for trial in July 2021.
In a twist of events, Williams highlighted a discovery issue in August 2021 when Honda’s counsel insisted on a face-to-face deposition despite Williams’s expert, William Bradley, recovering from COVID-19. Williams claimed Honda had conducted crash testing a month before Bradley’s deposition, a detail overlooked by both the district court and the Fifth Circuit.
High Court Turns Down Honda Airbag Injury Case : Downfall After Cancelled Depositions
The depositions of Bradley and another expert, Dr. Chandra Thorbole, were scheduled for November. However, a day before Bradley’s deposition, Williams’ counsel learned of Honda’s recent crash testing. Subsequently, Williams informed Honda that the deposition would not proceed as planned.
