Company Cleared in Firefighter Hearing Loss Claims

August 2010

Editor: There are a number of lawsuits around the country in which firefighters are seeking damages for hearing loss resulting from sirens. Here's a report from Federal Signal on settlement in their favor on a couple of the cases.

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Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS), a leader in environmental, safety and transportation solutions, announced that a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania jury absolved the Company from any liability in lawsuits brought by nine Philadelphia firefighters. These firefighters claimed that they had developed hearing loss caused by exposure to sirens manufactured by the Company. The jury found that the Company's sirens were not defective and that Federal Signal was not negligent. The jury returned a unanimous verdict for the Company after a two week trial and approximately two hours of jury deliberation. This trial followed another jury verdict for the Company last month on similar claims brought by nine other Philadelphia firefighters.

Jennifer Sherman, General Counsel for the Company, stated, "Our success in this consolidated trial as well as the consolidated trial last month demonstrates that our position in aggressively defending these cases is justified. We believe that sirens are important public safety products and that these claims are not well-founded. We believe that the jury's quick decision after a long trial reaffirms that Federal Signal's sirens help to protect the public in a way that is safe for firefighters. We intend to continue defending our product aggressively in these cases."

This litigation outcome follows a string of successes Federal Signal has had in the defense of similar claims in Philadelphia, Cook County, Illinois, New York City, and elsewhere. In Philadelphia, Federal Signal has obtained dismissal of three firefighter plaintiffs pursuant to pretrial motions filed by the Company. Federal Signal has also obtained voluntary dismissals of all hearing loss cases filed against it in Maryland, New Jersey, and Missouri during the past two years. In New York, the Company won dismissal of similar hearing loss claims filed by four firefighters, which was affirmed by an appeals court in June 2009. Federal Signal remains a defendant in hearing loss cases filed in Philadelphia and Chicago. In Philadelphia, the Company lost a single plaintiff trial during February 2010, which it is appealing. In Chicago, Federal Signal obtained a complete defense verdict in a consolidated trial involving 27 plaintiffs during 2008, and lost a jury trial in February 2009 involving the consolidated claims of nine firefighters. The Company is appealing that adverse verdict. The claims of 74 other Cook County firefighter plaintiffs have also been dismissed over the course of the litigation.

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