August 22, 2022 – Ford could be forced to pay $1.7 billion in punitive damages as a jury in Georgia returned its verdict on Friday, Aug. 19. This comes after the death of a couple whose 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty’s roof caved in on them during a rollover.
The crash occurred in April 2014 when a tire came off Melvin and Voncile Hill’s F-250 on a state highway. In 2018, the couple’s children sued Ford, alleging that their parents’ truck had a dangerously defective roof. Their lawyers provided evidence of 80 similar rollovers where occupants also suffered injury or death.
Initial legal proceedings ended in a mistrial. Ford’s lawyer violated court directives by suggesting that the couple had not worn seatbelts during the crash and that Melvin Hill had alcohol in his bloodstream at the time. A toxicology report, however, exonerated Mr. Hill of drinking and driving.
