Clark County Court Orders New Proceedings for Plaintiff Allie Mead

LAS VEGAS, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Clark County District Court Judge Tara Clark Newberry Tuesday granted a new trial for plaintiff Allie Mead in her product liability case against General Motors, ruling that conduct by GM’s trial attorneys during the original proceedings compromised the integrity of the trial and denied Mead a fair hearing. The decision, secured by Eglet Law, gives Mead a second opportunity to present her case before a jury.

The ruling hands plaintiff Allie Mead and her attorney, Robert Eglet, a second opportunity to hold General Motors accountable for a defective seat belt that shattered Mead’s spine and permanently altered the course of her life.

“Court orders are not suggestions,” said Eglet. “Today’s ruling makes clear that when you deliberately violate a court’s orders and disregard the rules of evidence, there are real consequences — and our justice system has the tools to correct them.”

Judge Clark Newberry was unsparing in her findings: “Despite being warned in advance of the trial to obey the rules and follow the court’s orders, defense counsel repeatedly violated this court’s pretrial evidentiary rulings and ultimately undermined the entire trial by presenting inadmissible evidence to the jury through improper argument.”

Her rebuke of GM’s lead attorney Michael Cooney was particularly pointed: “When counsel deliberately violates orders, invents facts, misstates the record and substitutes inadmissible scientific conclusions for missing expert testimony, no series of curative instructions can undo the damage.” The judge also found that GM’s own corporate representative was present throughout the trial and did not intervene.

Allie Mead was a passenger in a 1998 Chevrolet truck when it collided with a tree and a boulder on August 18, 2018. The two-point lap belt — the only restraint available in her seat — did not protect her. She suffered a spinal fracture, a ruptured colon, and severe abdominal trauma. She lives with unceasing pain, faces additional surgeries, and has been diagnosed with PTSD and major depressive disorder.

“The lap-only belt snapped her forward like closing a jack knife,” Eglet said. “The belt that was supposed to protect her became the weapon that destroyed her.”

When the jury sided with GM in November 2025, the result traveled nationally. Eglet filed immediately for sanctions and a new trial, arguing at a January 2026 hearing that defense counsel violated pretrial orders 130 times in just over five hours of testimony. Today the judge agreed.

“Allie Mead will get a fair trial,” Eglet said. “And when she does, I am confident the result will reflect what the evidence has always shown.”

CASE INFORMATION: Allie Mead v. General Motors, LLC | Case No. A-20-813945-C | Clark County District Court, Dept. XXI | Judge Tara Clark Newberry | New trial date to be announced.

INTERVIEW REQUEST MEDIA CONTACT: Tom Letizia | Letizia Agency | 702-545-8777 | Tom@LetiziaPR.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eglet-law-wins-new-trial-for-client-in-high-profile-general-motors-product-liability-case-302809660.html

SOURCE Eglet Law Group