Mississippi Judge Sends Wrongful Death Case to Louisiana

A federal judge in Mississippi has transferred a wrongful death and defective products lawsuit against Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. to Louisiana.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports that U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers issued the order Monday. Biggers said most of the case’s parties and witnesses live in Louisiana.

In November 2010, 17 plaintiffs sued Cooper Tire, claiming a defective tire it made caused an accident that killed five children and one adult on Nov. 28, 2009 on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish, La.

Biggers said the lone reason the lawsuit was filed in North Mississippi was that the tire in question was made at Cooper’s Tupelo plant.

The plaintiffs are seeking monetary and punitive damages, as well as medical expenses and burial costs.