Brian J. Panish and Christine D. Spagnoli Win Largest Personal Injury Verdict in California History.

Business Editors/Legal Writers

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 2004

West-Pac Industries and Tools Exchange Held Liable

for over $58 Million in Defective O-Ring Lawsuit

Brian J. Panish and Christine D. Spagnoli won the largest personal injury verdict in California history yesterday when a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded $58,137,361.000 million to Joseph Bryan Griggs in his case against defendants West-Pac Industries and Tools Exchange. Formerly, this distinction had gone to Grassini & Wrinkle, which had won a $51,639,230 jury verdict in 2001 in Burch vs. Children's Hospital of Orange County.

A heavy equipment operator, Mr. Griggs was severely burned over 75% of his body as the result of a defective O-ring which had been imported from Taiwan by Tools Exchange of Chatsworth, Calif., and distributed by West-Pac Industries of Huntington Beach, Calif. After three and a half days of deliberation, the jury found the Defendants negligent and awarded Plaintiff over $58 million. The trial began Feb. 2, 2004, and was presided over by Judge Victor Person. Mr. Panish and Ms. Spagnoli, who represented Mr. Griggs, are with the Santa Monica, Calif., law firm of Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler, LLP. Griggs vs. West-Pac Industries, et. al., Case No. BC 216425.

"We applaud the jury for its decision," explained Brian J. Panish, "because it saw the truth and put the responsibility for Mr. Griggs' injuries squarely on the shoulders of those who were instrumental in causing them. The award is fair, especially given the fact that my client has and will endure a lifetime of pain and suffering, and live with his disfiguring injuries."

Added Christine D. Spagnoli: "The personal injury award in Mr. Griggs' case sends a strong message to manufacturers and distributors that they will be held accountable for importing defective, sub-standard products into this country that cause injury or harm to consumers. The cost to business in being responsible for quality control is comparatively negligible to the physical harm done to Mr. Griggs."

On Sept. 10, 1998, Mr. Griggs was operating a Caterpillar J-621 paddle wheel scraper, and was grading land for a self storage facility in Valley Springs, Calif., when the machine's O-ring failed. The scraper's cab filled with fire, and Mr. Griggs' body was fully engulfed in flames. Doctors at the University of California Davis Burn Center determined that he had suffered third degree burns to more than 75% of his body, and he was later transferred to the Grossman Burn Center under the care of Dr. Richard Grossman. To date, Mr. Griggs has undergone more than 25 surgeries and has incurred more than $3.5 million in medical expenses, and will require several more years of burn reconstruction surgery.

Editor's Note:

Plaintiff Joseph Bryant Griggs was represented by Brian J. Panish and Christine D. Spagnoli with the Santa Monica, Calif., law firm of Greene, Broillet, Panish & Wheeler, LLP; Tel: [phone]; www.gbpwlaw.com.

Defendant West-Pac Industries is based in Huntington Beach, Calif.; Tel: [phone]. The company was represented by Steven J. Joffe with the Los Angeles law firm of Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker; Tel: [phone].

Defendant Tools Exchange was sold through a series of interconnected transactions during 2002, with Defendants MCC Electronics Corporation, Micro Commercial Components Corporation and Bridgecraft Corporation becoming collectively liable as successor corporations to Tools Exchange. Defendants are based in Chatsworth, Calif.; Tel: [phone], and were represented by Tom Y.K. Mei with the Santa Ana, Calif., law firm of Murchison & Cumming, LLP; Tel: [phone].