This is one of the highest compensation amounts awarded in this type of case. US automaker Ford has been ordered to pay $1.7 billion in damages for a manufacturing defect in one of its models, according to US media. This malfunction led to the death of a couple in Georgia in 2014.
At the end of this sentence, issued on Friday by a popular jury in Gwinnett County and reported by several US media outlets, Ford announced to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday his intention to appeal this decision “which is not supported by evidence.” , according to the manufacturer. Asked by AFP, Ford did not immediately respond.
Roll over after a puncture
Melvin and Voncile Hill’s F-250 Super Duty truck flipped over after a flat tire while driving on a highway near Americus, Georgia. The roof of the overturned vehicle had collapsed, crushing the couple in the cabin.
As a result of this accident, the couple’s two children took legal action and accused Ford of a defect in the design of this model that, according to documents cited by US media, was involved in dozens of other similar accidents.
During the three-week trial, Ford’s lawyers cited multiple design and safety studies that they said showed the roof was strong enough to withstand such an impact.
punitive damages
But the jury nevertheless retained the responsibility of the Dearborn (Michigan) firm that, according to documents in the file, manufactured approximately 5.2 million copies of this model, from 1999 to 2016, before the roof was reinforced, from of 2017.
The allocation of 1,700 million dollars corresponds to the so-called punitive damages, which go beyond the damage to the victim or victims and are intended to punish the perpetrator’s conduct. They are often set according to the financial capabilities of the person or entity in question.
On Thursday, the same jury separately sentenced Ford and Pep Boys car maintenance chain (for installing the wrong set of tires) to pay $24 million in damages to the Hill couple’s children as compensation for their harm. .
Source: BFM TV
