Cook County Jury Finds in Favor of Federal Signal Corporation in Trial of Eight Firefighter Hearing Loss Claims
By Federal Signal Corporation
OAK BROOK, Ill., Nov. 22, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS), a leader in environmental, safety and transportation solutions, announced today that a Cook County, Illinois jury absolved the Company from any liability in lawsuits brought by eight Chicago firefighters and found that the Company’s siren products were not defective. These firefighters claimed that they had developed hearing loss caused by exposure to sirens manufactured by the Company. After a two week trial, the jury deliberated for less than two hours in reaching a unanimous decision in favor of the Company.
This was the third trial in Cook County involving the consolidated claims of several firefighters claiming hearing loss. The Company previously had obtained a complete defense verdict in a consolidated trial in Cook County, Illinois involving 27 firefighters in 2008. The Company also lost a jury trial in 2009 involving consolidated claims of nine firefighters, which the Company is currently appealing. During the past two years, the Company also has been involved in hearing loss trials involving firefighters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the Philadelphia trials, the Company obtained complete defense verdicts on 16 of the 17 firefighter claims that were tried to verdict.