Schutt Sports prevailed in a product liabiity lawsuit when a New Jersey jury ruled the Pro Air II model football helmet is not defectively designed.
After a three week trial, the jury deliberated less than two hours before finding that the Pro Air II model football helmet is not defectively designed despite claims from the plaintiff that it failed to protect him from the serious neck injury he sustained with resultant transient quadriplegia and permanent residual. The plaintiff was injured in a high school varsity football game on November 5, 2011 as a result of making helmet-to-helmet contact while attempting to block an opponent on a kickoff return play.
The verdict came on Friday, June 19 in the case of Tyler Vitiello v. Kranos Intermediate Holding Corporation, which was before the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen
County Law Division. Kranos Corporation does business as Schutt Sports and
Schutt Reconditioning and Kranos Intermediate Holding Corporation.
Schutt Sports defended the design of the Pro Air II model football helmet and established that contrary to the plaintiff’s contention, there is no feasible alternative designed helmet that could have prevented his significant neck fractures and spinal cord injury.
Schutt Sports was represented and defended by its attorneys, David A. White and Phillip M. Davis of Davis & White, LLC, North Andover, MA and Boston, MA and Ola Nunez of Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan, LLP, Wayne, NJ.
