The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) has created two events that will put SEMA Show attendees in the room with Todd Tracy, lead counsel for the plaintiffs in Seebachan v. John Eagle Collision.

The first session, The Anatomy of a Lawsuit: The Crucial Details of the $42 Million Verdict has been newly added to the agenda as a result of the trial results. It will be held from 10:30am – 12:00 (noon) on Wednesday, November 1st in Ballrooms D-E in the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino.

A registration link will soon be announced for this session, but SCRS wanted to provide ample opportunity for attendees who may need to amend their travel plans to attend.

If you are in the collision repair industry, there is perhaps no bigger news story right now than the verdict from October 1st, when a Texas jury found a Dallas-based collision repair centre liable for incorrect repairs that led to increased severity in the crash of a 2010 Honda Fit. The jury awarded the owners of the vehicle a $42 million dollar verdict for injuries sustained as a result of the couple being trapped inside the burning vehicle. The collision repair facility was found responsible for 75 percent of the damages, and the details of Seebachan v. John Eagle Collision are likely to have rippling impacts across the collision repair landscape, and are critical for collision businesses performing repairs to understand and take heed of.

In The Anatomy of a Lawsuit: The Crucial Details of the $42 Million Verdict, Tracy will recount crucial details of the depositions, the trial, and the decision-making information presented to the jury that led to the precedent-setting verdict.

Those details can:

• Help collision repair businesses avoid their own “$42 million dollar verdict”
• Help clarify the facts that led a jury to conclude that OEM procedures were paramount
• Define how business decisions made in the course of repair can have dramatic effects on both the repair outcome and ultimate responsibility

Beyond understanding the intricacies of the case, understanding the liability implications is significant to collision repair business owners and operations.

On Thursday, November 2nd from 3:00.p.m to 5:00.p.m, SCRS will host a panel during the OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit that specifically addresses repairer liability concerns and realities.

The Hidden Dangers of Vehicle Technology, Improper Repair Methodology and Your Liabilities will be moderated by technologist and author, John Ellis, and will feature Todd Tracy, Attorney Erica Eversman (Vehicle Information Services), Mark Allen (Audi of America) and Aaron Clark (former shop owner.)

The panel will specifically address:

• An industry that is grappling with following manufacturer repair procedure requirements that are expected to be performed on every occasion
• Insurance claims positioning that leans towards “case-by-case” approval
• The implication of business decisions that can directly impact repair facility liability

For more details, visit scrs.com.