Last week the Miss. Court of Appeals affirmed a 2008 Hinds County defense verdict in Clark v. Toyota Motor Sales. Here is the Court’s opinion.

The basis of the case was a 2001 auto-accident in DeSoto County involving a Toyota truck. Part of the appeal centered on Toyota’s exemplar truck that Judge Winston Kidd allowed jurors to view in front of the courthouse.

Wayne Ferrell and a bunch of other lawyers represented the plaintiffs. David Ayers and other Watkins Eager lawyers represented Toyota.

Judge David Ishee wrote the Court’s unanimous opinion.

My Take:

This is an example of the fact that it’s common for defendants to win civil cases in Hinds County. Usually it’s the big plaintiff verdicts that make the paper. But defendants win trials in Hinds County all the time.