Opinion ID: 785703
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Formation of LIMO

Text: 19 Around the same time Ford created QVM, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford, and General Motors suggested the formation of the Limousine Industry Manufacturers' Organization (LIMO). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hoped that LIMO would provide its members with technical information, keep them apprised of upcoming legislation, and enable them to pool their resources for additional safety testing. The record suggests that LIMO did not accomplish all of these objectives. In 1990, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration commended LIMO's effort to organize safety testing but criticized its failure to provide significant test data. 6 20 Although Ford was not a limousine manufacturer, it became a non-voting member of LIMO. American Coach was a voting member. Craftsmen contends that defendants lobbied to exclude it from LIMO. Former LIMO President, Marsha Tortora, testified that during LIMO meetings, Ford's representative would talk about the importance of QVM, [and] that they had to keep non-compliant people out. (Tr. 323.) Tortora testified that American Coach's representative was equally adamant against allowing non-QVM coachbuilders to join LIMO. According to Tortora, he feared it would take the spotlight away from American Coach's product and would make Ford unhappy. (Tr. 295.) 21 Although Tortora believed that LIMO's doors should be opened to QVM and non-QVM coachbuilders alike, LIMO's bylaws initially limited membership to QVM coachbuilders. However, the bylaws were amended in 1995 to allow non-QVM coachbuilders to join LIMO upon submitting valid crash-test results. Because Craftsmen was not a member of QVM and did not perform crash-tests on its vehicles, it was not eligible to join LIMO.