Hill v. Ford Motor Co.

Summary

In this product liability trial, Melvin and Voncile Hill were killed when their Ford Super Duty F-250 pickup truck’s tire separated. This separation led to the vehicle rolling over and the roof caving in. The Hills' family sues Ford Motor Company, contending that the vehicle's roof was defectively designed and failed to protect occupants in rollover crashes. A previous trial ended in a mistrial, in which the court found against Ford on defective design and failure to warn claims. Representatives for the Hill family in this case argue that they are entitled to punitive damages, as this roof-crush case was not an isolated incident, and Ford designed a stronger roof but did not implement it on similar models.

Attorneys for Ford claim that the truck's roof generally protects occupants in the event of rollover accidents, but that the Hills' accident was an unusually severe crash. Additionally, they argue that the company’s design decisions did not warrant an award of punitive damages, as engineers focused on utilizing other types of safety features to prevent crashes.

Outcome

Verdict for plaintiff.
Total damages: $1.724 billion.
Including $24.05 million in compensatory damages and $1.7 billion in punitive damages.

Apportionment of fault:
Ford: 70%
Pep Boys: 30%