Judge Strikes Cooper Worker’s Testimony

A U.S. judge threw out testimony by a former Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. employee who said she burned evidence of tire defects at a supervisor’s direction.

U.S. District Judge George Howard’s decision to strike Cathy Jean Barnett’s testimony eliminates the main evidence cited by attorneys seeking sanctions against the second-biggest U.S. tire maker.

The request for sanctions was brought by lawyers for two boys seeking $100 million in damages for a 1998 accident that paralyzed them and killed their parents and brother.

Cooper shares rose 8 cents to $23.70 on the NYSE.