Lisoni & Lisoni Announces June 22 Set for Hearing on New Motion to Certify Firestone Steeltex Lawsuit as a National Class Action

PASADENA, Calif.--March 25, 2004--Lisoni & Lisoni, the Pasadena-based law firm which is handling the class action lawsuit against Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. for alleged defects in its Steeltex tire series, announced today that a hearing will be held on June 22 in the California Superior Court to hear a new motion for certification of the lawsuit as a national class action. The hearing will commence at 8:30 a.m. in Department 2H of the Riverside Branch, located in Indio, Calif., with Judge Christopher J. Sheldon presiding.

According to Attorney Joseph L. Lisoni, a new motion will be presented to Judge Sheldon for certification of the national class action based on evidence to be obtained in April following an investigation which the law firm is now conducting. Lisoni said the new motion is a direct response to a request for more evidence that Judge Sheldon made during a hearing on March 17, when he denied a previous motion, without prejudice, by the law firm for certification.

Commenting on the new motion, Lisoni remarked: "While we were not required to present evidence at the first hearing, according to the case management order approved by Judge Sheldon himself, we took him seriously when he said he could not grant our certification motion until we `showed him the evidence'. As evidence of defects in Steeltex tires is abundant, we will be pleased to provide him with more than enough evidence for him to justify granting the motion."

Lisoni reported that between April 12 and 16, he and his partner, Gail M. Lisoni, will be joined by five former Bridgestone/Firestone employees and one nationally renowned tire investigator as they travel to three Bridgestone/Firestone plants in the Midwest to inspect Steeltex tires which were damaged by alleged defects. The tires are being stored at plants in Akron, Ohio; Marengo, Ind.; and LaVergne, Tenn., under an order by the California Superior Court.

In addition, Lisoni is filing a petition with the court to require Bridgestone/Firestone to use the same facilities to store the 297,000 Steeltex tires in the United States and 20,000 overseas it is recalling. On February 26, Bridgestone/Firestone announced it was recalling 490,000 Steeltex tires manufactured at its plant in Joliette, Quebec, Canada, that have been linked to six accidents which have allegedly caused five deaths and 20 injuries.

Lisoni emphasized that this partial recall was a "drop in the bucket" in respect to the 30 million to 40 million Steeltex R4S, R4SII and A/T tires that are still posing a threat on America's roads and highways. A total recall is needed, he stressed, and if Bridgestone/Firestone is unwilling to do it, it is imperative that it be ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA). Lisoni said much of the blame for NHTSA's inaction lies with its investigator, Steve Beretzky, who has been in charge of investigations for both the Wilderness and Steeltex tires.

Beretzky, who Lisoni said issued a report recommending against the opening of an investigation of the Wilderness tire, also was put in charge of the initial investigation of Steeltex tires, which was concluded in April 2002. NHTSA reported that it could not find documented evidence that the Steeltex tire was defective. In retrospect, Lisoni charged that Beretzky "missed and failed to recognize" critical information provided to him of the defects, and that he and his colleagues were "reckless and negligent" in their handling of the investigation.

Subsequent to the initial NHTSA investigation of the Steeltex tire, Lisoni petitioned NHTSA on November 15, 2002, to reopen its investigation of the tire series. While that request was turned down, Lisoni reported he planned to shortly file another petition with NHTSA requesting it narrow a new investigation to Steeltex tires being used on ambulances. Through his firm's own independent investigation conducted during the past 20 months, he said it has amassed evidence of Steeltex tire problems on ambulances and other emergency vehicles in 33 states.