Cooper Tire to Pay $32.8 Million in Verdict

A Polk County, Iowa jury has issued a $32.8 million verdict against Cooper Tire & Rubber in a lawsuit over a fatal 2007 vehicle rollover caused by tire-tread separation.

By Andrea Tse , Mar 24, 2010 9:23 AM EDT

NEW YORK (

TheStreet

) -- A Polk County, Iowa, jury has issued a $32.8 million verdict against

Cooper Tire & Rubber

(CTB) - Get Report

in a lawsuit over a fatal 2007 vehicle rollover caused by tire-tread separation.

Jurors in Judge Carla Schemmel's district court found that Cooper Tire was responsible for the September 17, 2007, rollover crash of a 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager van on Highway 65, between Des Moines and Marshalltown. The jury found that Cooper Tire defectively designed and manufactured the Cooper Lifeliner Classic II tire.

The vehicle rollover was caused by tread separation on the van's left rear tire, leading to the deaths and severe injuries of the passengers inside.

-- Reported by Andrea Tse in New York

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