In this episode of Trial War Stories, host Andy Goldwasser sits down with legendary trial lawyer James Lowe to break down a groundbreaking automotive product liability trial that reshaped vehicle safety in America.
The conversation centers on Lowe’s representation of Michelle Flume, a young woman who was catastrophically injured and left paralyzed after being ejected from a vehicle equipped with a dangerously flawed “passive restraint” seatbelt system. What followed was one of the first trials in the country to challenge the design and warnings associated with motorized seatbelts — a case that put Ford Motor Company on trial and forced the automotive industry to confront the consequences of bad engineering.

Together, these two lawyers walk through:

• The evolution of crashworthiness litigation and auto safety
• How defective seatbelt designs and inadequate warnings put lives at risk
• Trying a bellwether case against a major automaker with national defense counsel
• Creative trial strategy, including bringing a cutaway car into the courtroom
• Demonstrative evidence that made complex engineering understandable to jurors
• A dramatic mid-trial fire alarm that revealed the real-life consequences of paralysis
• Jury dynamics, settlement pressure, and the moment the verdict finally came back
• What it takes to prepare, teach, and win in a high-stakes product liability trial

This is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how trial lawyers don’t just win cases — they change behavior, force accountability, and make products safer for everyone.

If you’re a lawyer, law student, or anyone fascinated by real courtroom strategy and the human stories behind landmark verdicts, this episode is a must-watch.

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