Cook County Jury Finds in Favor of Federal Signal Corporation in Trial of Firefighter Hearing Loss Claim

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Dec 18, 2012, 07:30 ET

OAK BROOK, Ill., Dec. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE:FSS), a leader in environmental and safety solutions, announced today that a Cook County, Illinois jury absolved the Company from any liability in a lawsuit brought by a Chicago firefighter and found that the Company's siren product was not defective. The firefighter claimed that he had developed hearing loss caused by exposure to a siren manufactured by the Company. After a one week trial, the jury deliberated for less than three hours in reaching a unanimous decision in favor of the Company.

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This was the fourth trial in Cook County involving the consolidated claims of several firefighters claiming hearing loss. The Company previously had obtained complete defense verdicts in consolidated trials in Cook County, Illinois involving 27 firefighters in 2008 and 8 firefighters in 2011. The Company lost a jury trial in 2009 involving consolidated claims of 9 firefighters, which the Company is currently appealing. An additional 85 firefighter claims have been dismissed in Cook County. During the past three years, the Company also has been involved in hearing loss trials involving firefighters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the Philadelphia trials, the Company obtained complete defense verdicts on 16 of the 17 firefighter claims that were tried to verdict.

Jennifer Sherman, General Counsel for the Company, stated, "This is the fourth consecutive defense verdict involving a total of 25 firefighter claims. These results are an important affirmation of the safety elements of our siren product." Jan Miller, the Company's lead attorney from Thompson Coburn, stated, "The jury followed the evidence and saw that even the plaintiff's own expert witnesses determined that the Federal Signal siren is safe. We are very pleased with the result and gratified that the law was followed."

Plaintiff was represented by Marc Bern of Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik, LLP and Jordan Margolis of The Margolis Firm PC.

About Federal Signal

Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS) enhances the safety, security and well-being of communities and workplaces around the world. Founded in 1901, Federal Signal is a leading global designer and manufacturer of products and total solutions that serve municipal, governmental, industrial and institutional customers. Headquartered in Oak Brook, IL, with manufacturing facilities worldwide, the Company operates three groups: Safety and Security Systems, Fire Rescue, and Environmental Solutions. For more information on Federal Signal, visit: http://www.federalsignal.com.

SOURCE Federal Signal Corporation