was portrayed by a prosecutor Monday as directly responsible for the deaths, while a defense lawyer argued he was simply in the dark about mechanical problems likely to blame for the wreck.
Hussain did not have the authority to operate his limo business, which was placed out of service multiple times before the tragedy, Rench said. The vehicle's aging brakes, he said, had not been replaced. He blamed the problems with the vehicle on the shop Hussain used for repair work, Mavis Discount Tires.
Lawyers for Mavis Discount Tires, which is not on trial but is being sued by the families of the victims, have denied that the repair shop is at fault.