A jury in the US state of Georgia has issued a ruling ordering the carmaker Ford Motor Company to pay a $ 1.7 billion fine, the AP agency reported. This has to do with an accident that took place in 2014. As a result, a marriage died.
Melvin and Voncile Hill were killed in April 2014 as they traveled from their farm in Reynolds, Georgia in a 2002 Ford F-250 pickup. At one point in the journey, a tire burst, causing the car to overturn, crushing both passengers.
Ford is to pay a fine
Their children, Kim and Adam Hill, who were plaintiffs in the manslaughter case, maintained that Ford was supposed to know the F-250 pickup roofs were too thin to protect passengers in the event of a rollover, but did not warn consumers and stuck to the faulty design roof until 2016.
Paul Manke, one of the company’s lawyers, said the allegation that Ford was irresponsible and consciously made decisions that put customers at risk is “simply untrue,” AP said.
Ford did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
The jury issued a verdict after a 14-day compensation trial in a state court in Gwinnett County, northeast of Atlanta.
In Georgia, 75 percent. proceeds from the sentences for criminal damages goes to the state treasury. The rest of the sum is shared between claimants and lawyers.
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