LARRY E. COBEN, A TRIAL ATTORNEY WHO LITIGATES CASES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES FOR 30 YEARS, WAS SINGLED OUT AT THE ANNUAL-NATIONAL CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE, THE WORLD’S LARGEST TRIAL BAR, TO RECEIVE THE 2010 STEVEN J. SHARP PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD, ALONG WITH HIS CLIENT, JEREMY WARRINER.
THIS AWARD WAS PRESENTED TO THEM FOR HAVING SELFLESSLY TAKEN UP THE MANTLE TO TELL THE STORY OF AMERICAN CIVIL JUSTICE, AND HELP EDUCATE STATE AND NATIONAL POLICY MAKERS AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSUMERS RIGHTS. MR. COBEN WAS GIVEN THIS VERY PRESTIGIOUS AWARD IN RECOGNITION OF HIS TIRELESS BATTLES OVER THE PAST YEAR TO COUNTER-ACT THE PROCEEDINGS WHICH WERE INTENDED TO DESTROY THE COMMON LAW CIVIL RIGHTS OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN CONSUMERS BY IMMUNIZING GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION AND CHRYSLER CORPORATION FROM PAST AND FUTURE LIAIBLITY FOR HARM AND INJURY RESULTING FROM THE DESIGN OF UNSAFE PRODUCTS.
Waging a battle on several fronts, including the political stage in Washington, D.C. and the Bankruptcy Courts in New York City, Coben has served as the official representative of all tort victims on the unsecured creditors’ committees and worked along side Mr. Warriner and other victims to convince the courts, members of Congress and the White House that immunizing these corporate giants from liability for future injury and death was both legally and morally unacceptable.
Their efforts and those of the Attorneys Information Exchange Group (of which Mr. Coben serves as its Chief Legal Officer) led to both General Motors and Chrysler – in a very unusual amendment to Chrysler’s obligations under the bankruptcy proceedings – to agree that their successor companies would accept financial responsibility for injuries and deaths occurring after the date of the bankruptcy for flaws in vehicles made and sold before the bankruptcy. These political and legal concessions will allow hundreds of thousands of consumers the opportunity to pursue their common law civil rights and recover fair compensation for the harm suffered.
While Mr. Coben have yet to resolve Mr. Warriner’s case against Chrysler for the firey crash that caused him to lose both his legs, they continue to speak out and hope someday to obtain justice.
