Hawthorne v. Kizer et al

On January 16, 2025, James Hawthorne, a machinery operator, was fatally crushed by a malfunctioning hydraulic press at Kizer Industries in Michigan. His widow, Evelyn Hawthorne, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company and its CEO, Marcus Kizer. The suit alleges that Kizer Industries knowingly bypassed safety protocols and ignored prior maintenance warnings to maximize production output. Investigations revealed that a critical safety sensor had been deliberately disabled. The case quickly moved to the Michigan District Court, becoming a high-profile example of corporate accountability in workplace safety.

Pending trial. The Michigan District Court denied the defendants' motion for summary judgment, allowing the wrongful death and product liability claims to proceed to a jury trial scheduled for late 2025.

The central dispute is whether Kizer Industries and CEO Marcus Kizer acted with gross negligence by intentionally disabling safety mechanisms, directly causing James Hawthorne's death. The defense argues the deceased failed to follow standard operating procedures, contributing to the accident.

The case has sparked widespread public debate on industrial safety regulations and corporate immunity. Labor unions have leveraged the Hawthorne case to advocate for stricter federal oversight and harsher penalties for safety violations, while Kizer Industries faces significant reputational damage and employee protests.