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Bridgestone sues IBM over botched $75 million computer system

On Behalf of | Dec 2, 2013 | Business Litigation |

Ohio readers may be interested to learn that Bridgestone Tires has sued tech giant IBM over a malfunctioning $75 million computer system that the tire company said threw their entire operation into chaos. The business litigation is seeking as much as $600 million in damages, but IBM is maintaining that it was Bridgestone’s mishandling of the system that created the problems. The computer maker said that their client lacked leadership in the area, as evidenced by changing its technology executive six times in the two years of the project’s development.

The alleged problems with the system Bridgestone bought from IBM included customer orders that were lost or deleted from the system, the inability process orders and a failure to coordinate important applications. When IBM was asked about the allegations, the company responded with a litany of examples in which Bridgestone was to blame for the computer system disaster.

In addition to accusing Bridgestone of mishandling the system and refusing to do the testing necessary before the computers came online, the computer maker said that they had offered to fix some of the problems if Bridgestone agreed not to hold IBM responsible. The filing of the $600 lawsuit went back on that agreement, IBM contended.

Business disputes don’t occur just between industry giants like Bridgestone and IBM. Anyone doing business can end up pursuing business litigation or being sued by a competitor or contractor. A legal professional with a background in helping clients navigate corporate disputes may be of service in and out of court.

Source: Business Insider, “IBM Rips Into Bridgestone Over $600 Million Lawsuit “, Julie Bort, November 20, 2013

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