Allen Matkins Team Defeats $200M Defective Product Suit

Daily Journal (October 31, 2019) A Van Nuys jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning a nearly unanimous defense verdict for two subsidiaries of a Japanese watch company accused of manufacturing defective printers. Tuesday’s verdict in Los Angeles County Superior Court was a victory for Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP, which represented Citizen Systems Japan Co. Ltd. and Citizens Systems of America, a pair of companies under the Tokyo-based Citizen Watch Co. Ltd. that sells small printers that connect point-of-sale devices. Dallas, Texas-based Tabletop Media LLC sued the companies, claiming the manufacturers’ components were defective when paired with its Ziosk device used to order menu items and print receipts at restaurants like Chili’s and Olive Garden. Tabletop sought damages of nearly $200 million. Over a two-week trial, attorneys for both Citizen entities were able to link the printer issues to the device’s poor design and Tabletop’s failure to follow component specifications, said Marissa M. Dennis, as attorney in Allen Matkins’ Los Angeles office and a member of the Citizen team. Read More (subscription required)