Oct. 9, 2017—Fox 4 News, along with several other Texas media outlets, has been covering the $42 million owed to Matthew and Marcia Seebachan after a faulty repair.
The lawsuit's story gained traction in August after the Seebachans, who were trapped in the crushed, burning 2010 Honda Fit after a collision, found that John Eagle Collision Center (Dallas) had used glue instead of welds when replacing a hail-damaged steel roof on the vehicle prior to the accident.
Of the $42 million awarded to the Seebachans after the lawsuit, John Eagle owes $31.5 million.
Now that John Eagle has been assigned 75 percent liability in the case, Erica Eversman, a collision repair attorney for Vehicle Information Services, says that the verdict could become a watershed moment that will affect collision-insurer relationships and increase public awareness of OEM procedures. It has the potential to lead to a class action lawsuit, she said.
The lawsuit will continue to stay in the public's eye, as the Seebachans' attorney, Todd Tracy, is going after John Eagle's DRP partner State Farm next.
