Torts Keyed to Henderson
Branham v. Ford Motor Co.
Facts
Jesse Branham (Plaintiff) and several children were passengers in a 1987 Ford Bronco II driven by Cheryl Hale. None of the passengers in the vehicle were wearing a seat belt. While driving, Hale began to veer of the side of the road. Noticing her change of course, she over-corrected by turning the vehicle in the opposite direction to the left. Shortly after, the vehicle began to shake and was overturned. Branham was ejected from the vehicle and suffered injuries. Branham then brought a negligence claim against Hale and brought a products liability design defect suit against the manufacturer of the car, Ford Motor Company. The plaintiff provided evidence that Ford decided saving money was more important than exploring some safety concerns regarding their vehicles. The jury ultimately found both defendants to be negligent awarded actual damages in the amoung of $16 million and punitive damages in the amount of $15 million. The South Carolina Supreme Court granted Ford’s appeal.
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