WTO successfully defends Ford in four-month, certified class action trial.

After a class had been certified, WTO was asked to be lead counsel representing Ford Motor Company in a consumer fraud class action trial involving claims for relief exceeding $2 billion. The lawsuit, brought by a consortium of nearly a dozen law firms from throughout the country, claimed that the company's advertising had been false and misleading and that it had caused more than 400,000 Californians to pay more than they should have for their cars. Following pretrial motions, the plaintiffs dismissed all their jury claims. Then, on the day scheduled for closing arguments in the four-month bench trial, the plaintiffs agreed to a no-cash, coupon-based settlement not only for the California class, but for classes in three other states in which parallel actions were pending.