South Florida Personal Injury Lawyers

A judge has vacated a $1.5 million judgment awarded to a woman who filed a defamation suit against rapper DMX after he alleged that she raped him.

Prince George’s County Circuit Judge Thomas Smith ruled last week that DMX (real name: Earl Simmons) was not properly served with court papers in the case filed against him by Monique Wayne.

Wayne became pregnant after an August 2003 encounter with Simmons in a Washington hotel room. She gave birth to a boy in April 2004 and DNA tests showed it was Simmons’ son.

But in a 2006 magazine interview, Simmons, without referring to Wayne by name, said she “raped” him while he slept. Wayne denied the claim, and said in a court hearing this year that she awoke to find Simmons on top of her, which led to consensual sex. She said she filed the lawsuit because “he lied to the whole world on me” about what happened.

Wayne was awarded the $1.5 million at a January hearing after Simmons failed to appear. But his lawyers challenged that claim, saying Wayne did not properly serve him with lawsuit papers and was unaware of the case against him.

Wayne’s lawyer did not return a phone message seeking comment. Simmons’ lawyer William “Hassan” Murphy III said Simmons “looks forward to proving her allegations to be wrong” if the case continues.

Simmons also faces criminal charges in Arizona for allegedly mistreating pit bulls found at his Phoenix home and felony drug possession. He pleaded not guilty last week.

Companies that were sued over contaminated pet food linked to the deaths of perhaps thousands of dogs and cats have agreed to pay $24 million to pet owners in the United States and Canada.

The settlement is detailed in papers filed late Thursday in U.S. District Court in Camden. It still needs a judge’s approval.

“The settlement attempts to reimburse pet owners for all of their economic damages,” said Russell Paul, a lawyer for plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

The deal would affect people who incurred expenses directly related to the illness or death of a pet linked to the food, which was at the center of the biggest-ever U.S. pet food recall in 2007.

Nearly 300 people sued about 30 companies in state and federal courts. They and perhaps thousands of other pet owners would be eligible for payments under the deal.

Ontario-based Menu Foods Income Fund, which makes dog and cat food under about 90 brand names, and other firms that make or sell pet food announced April 1 that they were settling lawsuits with pet owners.

The pet food was discovered to contain wheat gluten imported from China that was contaminated with melamine, a chemical used to make plastics. Though Menu was the first company to issue recalls, four other companies eventually recalled pet foods, too.

Some of the companies have already paid out more than $8 million to people whose pets were sickened or killed after eating the contaminated food.

Under the terms of the deal announced Thursday, pet owners could be reimbursed for all reasonable expenditures, including veterinarian bills and burial or cremation costs.

Pet owners could also ask for the fair market value of their deceased pets, if that is higher than the costs incurred. Owners who do not have documentation of their expenses can get up to $900 each. All claims are subject to a review.

The companies say they will donate any money left in the fund after claims are paid out to animal welfare charities.

The settlement details were originally to have been filed in court about two weeks ago, but it took longer than expected to hash out the deal, partly because it had to be made to conform with both U.S. and Canadian law.

A court hearing on the settlement is scheduled for May 30.

On June 15, 2005, plaintiff Shasta Pritchard, 57, unemployed, was driving a 1998 Dodge Durango with her grandson, plaintiff Brayden Pritchard, 12, a front-seat passenger, in Baton Rouge, heading north on Louisiana Highway 1, a two-lane highway.

Pritchard passed an 18-wheeler owned by Boh Bros. Construction Co. of New Orleans. Upon returning in the northbound lane, Pritchard, after 10 seconds, attempted to pass another 18-wheel tractor-trailer that was also owned by Boh Bros. The truck was operated by Robert Herrington, who was hauling large wooden mats used for earthmoving equipment to rest upon.

According to Pritchard, she was two car lengths in the southbound lane when Herrington activated his left turn signal to turn left onto Deaton Street. Pritchard slammed on her brakes, which then locked, and she swerved into the right lane and struck the side of Herrington’s trailer. Both plaintiffs sustained injuries.

Pritchard, along with her husband, Steven, and Peter Pritchard, on behalf of his son, Brayden, sued Boh Bros. and Herrington for his vehicular negligence. Plaintiffs’ counsel argued that Herrington failed to maintain control and a proper outlook; failed to yield to oncoming traffic; and attempted to make a left turn before ensuring that the lane was free of oncoming traffic.

State Police Trooper James Cannon, the responding officer, opined that the center line was dotted, which permitted motorists to pass in either lane. In addition, no markers or signs were posted prohibiting passing.

The defendants denied the allegations. Defense counsel contended that Pritchard was 100 percent liable for the accident. According to defense, Herrington properly looked for oncoming vehicles before he turned on his signal and began making a left.

With her left tibia protruding through her skin, Pritchard was flown to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, where her open leg fracture was cleaned and bone fragments flushed out. She was then fitted with an external fixator. Ten days later, open reduction internal fixation was performed on Pritchard’s tibial shaft in which bone was grafted to replace missing bone. Pritchard’s left leg ended up two inches shorter than her right. She was released 24 days after from when she was admitted and underwent physical therapy and then chiropractic treatment, as a result of her injuries, for many months. Nearly three months after the accident, hardware was removed. She then developed hammertoe, or tightening of tendons in her left foot, and a pressure-release was performed in December 2006.

Pritchard’s treating orthopedic surgeon said that her injuries were caused by the accident with Herrington. She sought $144,900 for past medical expenses.

The plaintiffs’ treating chiropractor explained how leg deficiency causes misalignment in the hips and spine which can lead to kyphosis and other spinal impairments. Pritchard, experiencing an unbalanced gait and pain in her hips and back, was fitted with a shoe lift to compensate for the leg discrepancy. She also sustained the loss of her subtalar joint in her injured left foot. Lalonde said that she may need future surgery on the joint if it becomes too painful. She sought a non-quantified amount for future medical expenses and past and future pain and suffering.

Two months prior to the accident, Pritchard was an administrative assistant, earning $23,000 annually. She temporarily left the position to take care of her grandchildren for the summer but planned to resume the position at summer’s end. Counsel told jurors that she planned to work until the age of 64.

Pritchard, relying on a cane, said that she’s unable to stand for long periods of time because of her impaired balance. Due to her leg condition, she and her husband are unable to vacation and have not done so since the crash. She talked about how at the time of the accident she was going to take care of her three grandchildren for the summer, but they ended up taking care of her.

Steven Pritchard discussed his caring for his wife; how during those first few months he and the grandchildren washed her clothes and emptied her bedpan. He sought an unspecified amount for loss of companionship.

Brayden was treated for bruises and scratches to his knees at and then released. A long-distance runner, Brayden said that he experiences stiffness in his knees and left ankle after running a long period of time, which requires him to “pop” his joints to allay the stiffness.

The jury found that defendants were 75 percent negligent and Pritchard 25 percent comparatively negligent. Jurors awarded Shasta Pritchard, Steven Pritchard and Brayden Pritchard $1,336,000, which was reduced to $1,002,000.

Brayden Pritchard

$4,000 Personal Injury: Past Medical Cost

$30,000 Personal Injury: past and future pain and suffering

Shasta H. Pritchard

$145,000 Personal Injury: Past Medical Cost

$35,000 Personal Injury: Future Medical Cost

$72,000 Personal Injury: Past Lost Earnings Capability

$250,000 Personal Injury: past and future physical pain and suffering

$250,000 Personal Injury: permanent scarring and disfigurement

$250,000 Personal Injury: past and future mental pain and suffering

Steven Pritchard

$300,000 Personal Injury: loss of companionship, service, society, care, attention, guidance and moral support

Everyone with high blood pressure - some 72 million Americans - should own a home monitor and do regular pressure checks, the American Heart Association and other groups urged Thursday in an unprecedented endorsement of a medical device for consumers.

High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes and death. Having it checked a few times a year in a doctor’s office or at the drugstore is not enough to keep tabs on it, and regular home monitoring is more accurate, the new advice says.

Closer checks would let doctors fine-tune the many medicines used to control high blood pressure, just as diabetics adjust their insulin levels by regularly monitoring blood sugar. Only a third of people with high blood pressure now have it under control.

“We need new approaches. Our current approach is simply not working,” said Dr. David Goff, a preventive medicine specialist at Wake Forest University and a member of the panel that wrote the advice.

Outside experts strongly agreed. But some said the case would be more compelling if those pushing the monitors had no industry ties. For example, a leading device maker pays more than $300,000 a year to co-sponsor the heart association’s blood pressure Web site. The company played no role in the new advice, the association said.

“This is not as clean a recommendation as it could be” because of the industry ties, said Dr. Sidney Wolfe of the consumer group Public Citizen. Still, home monitors are “an excellent idea,” Wolfe said.

They cost $50 to $100 on the Internet and at pharmacies. Insurance usually doesn’t pay, though the heart groups say it should.

The heart association, the American Society of Hypertension and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses’ Association all urged home monitoring in a statement published online Thursday in the journal Hypertension, the medical word for high blood pressure.

The condition occurs when blood pulses too forcefully through vessels, which can damage the heart, kidneys and other organs. It is more common as people age, and it leads to about 7 million deaths in the United States each year.

Readings of 140 over 90 are considered high at the doctor’s office; 135 over 85 if taken at home. Pressure often goes up with the “white coat” effect, nervousness when seeing a doctor. Readings also vary throughout the day.

“So often we rely on a single measurement in the office and it’s so arbitrary,” said Dr. Allen Taylor of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a prominent researcher not involved in the new advice.

Many types of medicines can help control high blood pressure, and often more than one is needed. Finding the right dose or combo is tricky.

Home monitors can help, by giving a better picture of pressure variations and the response to a drug. Sometimes less medication is needed, because doctors discover that pressure was artificially high when someone was in the office, Goff said. That spares people the cost and side effects of unnecessary treatment.

Often, though, the opposite is true - people need more or different drugs.

Home monitors are especially important for the elderly, pregnant women, diabetics and people with kidney disease, the panel said. Automated, arm-cuff devices are recommended - wrist and finger ones are notoriously inaccurate. People should take their device with them to their doctor’s office and have measurements compared to make sure the machine isn’t off.

Experts suggest taking two or three readings at a time, one minute apart, while sitting with the arm supported. Readings should be taken at the same time each day, such as morning and evening, for a week.

Twelve readings are recommended for doctors to make treatment decisions, and this can be repeated as often as a doctor feels necessary, depending on how stable the condition is.

Taking readings at home also may nudge people to cut risks - use less salt, exercise more, lose weight and limit alcohol.

“It’s a great idea,” said Dr. Joseph Drozda of St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in Chesterfield, Mo. He is a high blood pressure expert for the American College of Cardiology. “If you’re graphically seeing where your blood pressure is all the time, it keeps it real to you,” especially if you’re not having symptoms, he said.

However, there is scant proof that home monitoring will cut heart attacks, strokes or deaths more than periodic office checkups do. Studies suggest that home monitors can improve blood pressure control, and that a 2-point drop in the reading results in a 4 percent drop in heart disease death rates, Goff said.

Many blood pressure drugs have been approved without evidence they lower deaths, said Dr. William White, a blood pressure specialist at the University of Connecticut and a reviewer of the new advice.

“We don’t have direct evidence that it will reduce heart attacks and strokes but we have reason to believe that it will,” said heart association president Dr. Daniel Jones, dean of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine.

Industry ties also should not make the public doubt the advice, Jones said. A leading home monitor maker - Omron Healthcare Inc. of Deerfield, Ill. - is one of three sponsors of the association’s high blood pressure Web site (the other two are drug makers).

Omron’s $300,000 to $400,000 a year payment is a fraction of the association’s $800 million in revenue, and companies have no role in the content of the Web site or any advice, Jones said.

Device makers also help sponsor projects and meetings of the hypertension society. The head of the panel urging home monitors, Dr. Thomas Pickering of Columbia University, is a paid speaker for Omron, and his university has had research grants from Omron and another device maker, Microlife.

The panel did not endorse specific machines, but noted a British Hypertension Society Web site listing some. The group does no independent testing, however.

Alcohol was a factor in the death of a 25-year-old man who fell down a stairwell at Turner Field during the game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.

Justin Hayes of Cumming, Ga., suffered head injuries Wednesday night and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. He fell about 150 feet from the club level to the landing on the field level during the eighth inning.

The investigation is “pointing toward drinking. Alcohol was a factor,” said Atlanta police department spokesman Ronald Campbell on Thursday.

Campbell said Hayes may have been sliding down the hand rails when he fell.

“We are still waiting for the police report to be completed,” Campbell said. “We had officers working at the game.”

Mark Guilbeau, the senior investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, said an autopsy will be performed.

The Braves issued a statement Thursday expressing sympathy for Hayes’ family.

“The Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Police Department are investigating the tragic accident that resulted in the death of a 25-year old male fan at last night’s game,” the statement said. “Our sincerest and heartfelt condolences go out to his family.”

Braves spokeswoman Beth Marshall said the team had no additional comment pending the investigation.

Turner Field, built for the 1996 Olympics, has been the Braves’ home stadium since 1997. The Braves said it’s the first non-medical fatality at the stadium.

Hundreds of patients taking Pfizer Inc’s anti-smoking drug Chantix have reported serious accidents, vision problems and heart trouble, researchers said on Wednesday, sending shares of the world’s largest drugmaker to their lowest level since 1997.

U.S. aviation regulators responded quickly to the research, saying they would prohibit use of the drug by private and commercial pilots. “It’s prudent to deem the drug no longer acceptable for use,” said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Les Dorr.

Chantix, also known as varenicline, has already been linked to depression and suicide, among other problems.

Researchers at the nonprofit Institute for Safe Medication Practices, and Wake Forest University, said they found hundreds of reported problems since the drug’s 2006 approval that included blurred vision, dizziness, confusion and loss of consciousness.

“These data provide a strong signal that the risks of varenicline treatment have been underestimated and show that a wide spectrum of serious injuries are being reported in large numbers,” the researchers said.

The data does not definitively prove that Chantix is at fault but does show a strong signal, the researchers cautioned, adding that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Pfizer should take further steps, including conducting more studies.

Pfizer officials defended Chantix, one of the struggling drugmaker’s newest medicines, saying the side effects are already mentioned on the drug’s label.

“When you’ve got the nicotine withdrawal along with Chantix, it’s just very difficult to tell what is causing it,” said Gretchen Dieck, Pfizer’s senior vice president for safety and risk management.

Shares of the drugmaker fell 1.2 percent to $19.76 in after-hours trading Wednesday, after finishing regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange down 4 cents at $20.01.

Chantix works by targeting a certain type of brain receptor affected by nicotine, tobacco’s addictive ingredient. The drug blocks some of the effects of nicotine while also providing a nicotine-like buzz to help curb withdrawal.

Pfizer has touted Chantix as one of its biggest hopes for future earnings growth, but its sales have been hurt in recent months by safety concerns.

In February, the FDA warned about the risk of mood and behavior changes with Chantix and called for new warnings on the drug’s label. It also said the drug could impair patients’ ability to drive or use heavy equipment.

The drug brought in $277 million during the first quarter of 2008, but has since seen its prescriptions fall 5 percent, according to Bear Stearns analyst John Boris.

FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan said the FDA was still investigating the drug’s psychiatric effects. Wider reviews of new drugs like Chantix were desirable but “FDA currently does not have adequate staffing to conduct such reviews.”

On Aug. 28, 2006, plaintiff Thomas McAndrew, 36, an ironworker, worked at an outdoor construction site that was located at John F. Kennedy International Airport, in Queens. Shortly after McAndrew began his work, he walked to an area that housed safety equipment. As he was traversing an area of cluttered boxes, he slipped on paint overspray. He claimed that he fell and sustained injuries of his back and one finger.

McAndrew sued the site’s lessee, American Airlines Inc.; the construction project’s manager, VRH/Torcon; and a subcontractor, Newport Painting & Decorating Co. Inc. He alleged that American Airlines and VRH/Torcon violated the labor law. He further alleged that Newport Painting & Decorating created and negligently failed to address a dangerous condition.

McAndrew claimed that the area of overspray was open to the elements and became even more slippery when it became wet. He contended that it had rained the night before the accident, thus making the area especially slippery. McAndrew’s counsel claimed that Newport Painting & Decorating had been painting in the area and negligently failed to place a tarp to prevent overspray. They also claimed that Newport Painting & Decorating should have cleaned the overspray.

McAndrew further claimed that the overspray and cluttered boxes were a recurrent condition and had been the subject of several complaints by him and other contractors. McAndrew’s counsel argued that American Airlines and VRH/Torcon were negligent for allowing the dangerous condition to persist.

McAndrew’s counsel contended that the site was not properly safeguarded and that, as such, it violated Labor Law ? 241(6). They further contended that the site violated the general safety requirements of Labor Law ? 200.

After the conclusion of McAndrew’s case, Judge Martin Shulman directed a verdict that established that American Airlines was not liable for the accident. The matter proceeded against the remaining defendants.

Defense counsel contended that McAndrew knew that painting was occurring in the area and that the overspray was an open, obvious condition. They argued that McAndrew should have exercised greater caution or avoided the area.

McAndrew fell, and his right, dominant hand landed in an open box of sheet metal. The hand’s fifth finger was sliced, and McAndrew sustained damage of nerves and a tendon. He further claimed that his back was twisted and that the torsion caused herniations of his L2-3 and L4-5 intervertebral discs. He contended that he also developed residual radiculopathy.

Three days after the incident, McAndrew underwent surgical repair of his injured finger. Some five months later, he underwent tenolysis–the release of adhesions of a tendon. He also underwent about eight months of physical therapy, which addressed all of his injuries, and chiropractic treatment that addressed his spinal injuries.

McAndrew further claimed that he suffers a residual reduction of his injured finger’s range of motion. He contended that he may have to undergo repair of his right hand’s ulnar nerve, fusion of his injured finger’s joint and amputation of the finger. He also claimed that his herniations produce disabilities that prevent his resumption of work. He contended that he may have to undergo a laminectomy–surgical excision of a vertebra’s posterior arch.

McAndrew sought recovery of $53,770 for his past medical expenses, $3.5 million for his future medical expenses, a total of $3.5 million for his past and future lost earnings, $3.7 million for his loss of pension benefits, $2 million for his past pain and suffering, and $4 million for his future pain and suffering. His wife sought recovery of $250,000 for her past loss of services and $1.25 million for her future loss of services.

Defense counsel contended that McAndrew’s spinal injuries stemmed from degenerative conditions that preexisted the accident. They also contended that his injured finger experienced a good recovery.

The jury found that VRH/Torcon and Newport Painting & Decorating were liable for the accident. It determined that McAndrew’s damages totaled $4,913,231.30.

Robin McAndrew

$125,000 Personal Injury: Past Loss Of Services

$125,000 Personal Injury: Future Loss Of Services

Thomas McAndrew

$53,770 Personal Injury: Past Medical Cost

$1,325,863 Personal Injury: Future Medical Cost

$83,598 Personal Injury: Past Lost Earnings Capability

$1,200,000 Personal Injury: FutureLostEarningsCapability

$200,000 Personal Injury: Past Pain And Suffering

$800,000 Personal Injury: Future Pain And Suffering

$1,000,000 Personal Injury: lost pension benefits

Judge Martin Shulman denied plaintiffs’ counsel’s motion for additur. Defense counsel reported that they may file post-trial motions and/or an appeal.

A new report says money worries may have led to bad maintenance decisions for the Minneapolis bridge that collapsed and killed 13 people last August.

The report released Wednesday also says that decision-making at the Minnesota Department of Transportation was sometimes unclear and expert advice not effectively used.

The report was commissioned by the state Legislature to determine if any policies could be changed to prevent future disasters.

more than $22 million for severe and permanent birth injuries sustained by her daughter in 1997.

After a five week trial, the Hamilton County jury ruled that Dr. Lisa Yang and Group Health Associates were negligent in the delivery of Cassie Grow. The money from the verdict will go toward compensating Cassie for her medical costs and pain and suffering, among other things.

Brain Damage

Now 11-years-old, Cassie suffers from spastic quadriplegia and mild retardation as a result of the brain damage she endured during her birth. Heather Grow, Cassie’s mother, was told that she had a narrow pelvic arch, a serious medical issue for delivering a baby expected to be about nine pounds.

“The evidence was pretty compelling that this baby was not going to fit” through the birth canal, attorney Patrick P.J. Beirne said. “The child got stuck….It was like trying to fit a watermelon through (an opening) the size of an apple.”

To compound the problem, medical workers under Yang’s supervision continued giving Grow drugs to contract her uterus in hopes of pushing the baby through the canal. However, the contractions were causing damage to the baby’s brain.

“She was having contractions every one to two minutes for hours. It violates every medical textbook. It puts the baby and mom (in) danger,” said attorney Mark Mueller.

Permanent Injuries

Cassie now has problems using her hands, requires the use of a walker, and cannot properly interpret visual images.

“These are permanent injuries,” Mueller said. “The doctor had a responsibility to ensure she had a safe delivery.”

Honda will sell a new, improved and affordable gas-electric hybrid in the U.S., Japan and Europe starting in early 2009, underlining the Japanese automaker’s commitment to “green” technology, the company president said Wednesday.

The new model - to be sold solely as a hybrid, and not as a traditional, gasoline-powered car - is a key part of Honda Motor Co.’s strategy for the next three years that President Takeo Fukui outlined at Tokyo headquarters.

The plan also included production innovations and expansion in Japan to cut costs so Honda can stay competitive amid soaring material and energy costs, he said.

In addition to the new hybrid, Honda will introduce several other hybrids: a Civic, a new sporty model based on the CR-Z and a Fit subcompact, sold as the Jazz in Europe, Fukui said.

“Hybrids have drawn attention for their image, but time has come to go to the next step,” he said, stressing that Honda was serious about selling hybrids in numbers.

Fukui refused to give the price for the new vehicle, which would be offered solely as a hybrid.

But he said the difference between hybrids and their comparable standard models should be kept within 200,000 yen (US$1,900; 1,200), although such price gaps can now reach as much as 500,000 yen (US$4,800; 3,000).

“The 200,000 yen difference is a must,” said Fukui.

The new hybrid’s name was not yet disclosed. It will be a five-door sedan seating five passengers, and feature new technology that reduced the size and weight of the hybrid system to increase fuel efficiency, according to Honda, Japan’s second-biggest automaker.

Although Honda already has developed hybrids, it has fallen behind Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp. in this segment.

Last year, Honda discontinued the gas-and-electric version of its Accord sedan - sold only in North American - which sold just 25,000 units since going on sale in 2004. In 2006, it pulled the plug on the slow-selling Insight hybrid.

Over the past decade, Toyota has sold more than a million Prius gas-electric hybrid cars worldwide. When including other hybrid models, cumulative overall sales of gas-electric vehicles total 1.46 million, according to Toyota, which also makes the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury cars.

Honda has sold nearly 262,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide since it started selling them in 1999. Hybrids deliver a cleaner, more efficient ride by switching between a gas engine and an electric motor at different speeds, and by recycling the energy the car produces as it moves.

Honda said Wednesday that it plans to sell 500,000 hybrids a year sometime after 2010, half the number that Toyota has already announced it seeks to sell a year by the same time period.

Fukui said he didn’t consider that as a defeat to Toyota. But he acknowledged the Prius was a smart success, partly because it’s only offered as a hybrid.

“It’s very clear to see the Prius is a hybrid,” he said.

At the end of this year, the production line for the hybrid motor will be raised to 250,000 units annual capacity from the current 70,000, Honda said.

Honda said it’s also pushing its fuel-cell technology to ease environmental concerns.

A fuel cell vehicle has no emissions because it runs on the power created when hydrogen, stored as fuel in the vehicle, combines with oxygen in the air to emit water.

Honda said it expects to lease several dozen of its new fuel cell vehicle, FCX Clarity, a year, mostly in California, reaching 200 vehicles in the first three years. The leasing is set to start in July 2008 in the U.S., and a few months later in Japan.

Under the plans for production cost cuts, Fukui said a new car plant will reduce energy needs by 30 percent compared with an existing Honda plant. A new engine plant will have flexible lines that can produce different engines, including diesels.

Honda will invest 158 billion yen (US$1.5 billion; 960 million) for the two “next-generation plants,” which will be able to trace components for better quality control, it said.

Fukui said such production finesse will be expanded to Honda’s global operations but must first begin at home in Japan.

“The power of Japan is needed,” he said.

Its booming motorcycle business is a key strength that helps makes Honda unique among the world’s major automakers, the company said.

Honda motorcycles are hugely popular in developing economies such as Vietnam and Thailand, and Honda is beefing up its motorcycle production methods so that it can withstand a potential drop in the dollar to 90 yen levels.

A weak dollar, now trading at about 103 yen, down about 10 percent from the previous year, hurts the earnings of Japanese automakers by eroding their overseas income when converted to yen.