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Cranbrook Partners, representing Porsche AG and other
defendants, said in papers filed last week in Los Angeles
Superior Court that Walker's death was the result of his "own
comparative fault."
In November 2013 Walker was a passenger in a 2005 Porsche
Carrera GT driven by Roger Rodas when the vehicle careened into
trees and a utility pole in Santa Clarita, northwest of Los
Angeles, killing both men.
After a four-month investigation, Los Angeles officials said the
crash had been caused by excessive speed and not mechanical
failure.
Meadow Walker, the actor's only child and sole heir, filed a
complaint in September accusing Porsche of skimping on safety
features for the vehicle, which could have prevented the crash
or at least kept the actor alive. Her lawsuit requested a jury
trial.
Lawyers for Porsche said Walker had "knowingly and voluntarily
assumed all risk, perils and danger" of the 2005 Carrera GT, and
that the car, owned by Rodas, had been "abused and altered," and
"was misused and improperly maintained."
"That abuse and alteration proximately caused or contributed to
the incident and to Mr. Walker's death," Cranbrook said.
Meadow Walker's attorney Jeff Milam said on Tuesday that Porsche
was "trying to deflect its own responsibility by blaming the
victim."
"Paul was the passenger in a car that was not designed to
protect its occupants. While the speed may have been unlawful,
it was well below the vehicle's advertised capabilities," Milam
said in a statement.
He added that Paul Walker survived the impact of the crash, but
"burned to death because of Porsche's defective design."
Earlier this year, attorneys for Porsche said Rodas, the driver
of the vehicle, was to blame for the crash after Rodas' widow
filed a lawsuit against the automaker alleging negligence and
wrongful death, among other claims.
Walker's death led to a temporary halt in production of "Furious
7," an action movie in the "Fast & Furious" franchise about
illegal street car racing.
The film was released this year after Walker's brothers helped
finish his scenes.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Additional reporting by Alex
Dobuzinskis; Editing by G Crosse)
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