Ford still owes $82.6m in Explorer rollover case

About this time last year, a case was under review in California involving a woman that was paralyzed after she rolled her 1997 Ford Explorer while trying to avoid an object in the roadway. The case has been bouncing around the courts since the crash took place in 2002, and when it was orginally brought to trial, the jury initially awarded the plaintiff $369 million, with $246 million in punitive damages. Over the past six years that sum has been cut down to $82.6 million (of which $55 million is classified as punitive damages), but no money has been paid out. The 4th District Court of Appeal in California was asked to re-review the case after Ford appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming that the vehicle met federal safety standards and hence, wasn't liable in the case. The court approved the $82.6 million payout yesterday and we're assuming that Ford is either cutting a check or crafting a new legal strategy.
[Source: Detroit Free Press]