Anthony Southard, a Florida citizen and resident, has filed a lawsuit against Kevin Lytle Motorsports, Inc., doing business as Tallahassee Harley-Davidson. The case was filed in the Second Judicial Circuit in Leon County, Florida under case number 9024 CA 000472 on March 21, 2024. The complaint involves personal injury, product defect, and negligence claims exceeding $50,000.
Southard alleges that on July 2, 2023, he drove his Harley-Davidson motorcycle to Tallahassee and parked it at the Aloft Hotel. The next day he was unable to unlock the handlebars of his motorcycle and contacted Tallahassee Harley for assistance. John Stanley, an employee of Tallahassee Harley, arrived at the scene and removed the fork lock mechanism from the motorcycle.
Stanley then assured Southard that the motorcycle was safe to operate and instructed him to drive it to their service department for further repairs. However, while driving there as directed by Stanley, the handlebars relocked unexpectedly causing Southard to be thrown off his bike which then fell on top of him.
The plaintiff is seeking damages for personal injury caused by what he claims was negligence on part of Kevin Lytle Motorsports. He alleges that they failed in their duty to properly inspect, maintain and repair his motorcycle which led directly to his accident.