Jurors ordered the world's No. 3 automaker to pay just under $14 million in punitive damages for a "conscious indifference to the consequences" by not addressing known safety concerns with its 2000 Lincoln LS luxury sedan. (...) The jury had awarded the injured child, Kelsey Sasser, 9, and her family more than $33 million Tuesday to compensate them for her pain, expenses and permanently altered life. (...) Kelsey, a cheerful girl with big blue eyes and freckles, came to court in her wheelchair last week to testify, bringing some jurors to tears.
Kelsey was back in classes at Sope Creek Elementary School this week and wasn't in court to hear either verdict. (...) Last year, a U.S. Supreme Court decision in an unrelated case against Ford called for an end to massive punitive damages in product liability cases. Instead, the high court wrote that those verdicts should be in line with the victim's economic loss -- not the defendant's deep pockets.
I agree with the last statement. No amounts of money can undo the damage. But too often, jurys are so moved that no amount seems unreasonable to them. How much does the family really need?
Another thought occured to me: We hear so much about people who suddenly get rich and end up mis-investing or mis-spending vast amounts. Who makes sure that this doesn't happen in cases like this? Do these amounts to got a fund earmarked for the girl's care?
