The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled a lawsuit against a tire manufacturer in China over a an accident that happened in 2009 can proceed in state court.
A lower state court had tossed out the case, saying it had no jurisdiction over Doublestar, the foreign company, but the Iowa Supreme Court now says otherwise.
The lawsuit involves a 17-year-old boy working at his dad’s tire shop in Adel. He was inflating a tire in 2009 when it exploded. The teenager was seriously injured. He was blinded in one eye and has only partial use of his left hand and arm. His mother filed a lawsuit against the Chinese company that made the “Treadstone” brand tire, alleging it was badly designed and prone to explode when it was being inflated.
The Iowa Supreme Court is citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision involving a tire manufacturer in a foreign country and has ruled the case can proceed in state court.