View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2018/10/31/506170.htm
A final judgment upholds a jury award of more than $200 million to a Dallas-area family against Toyota over what they alleged were defective front seats in their Lexus sedan.
State District Judge Dale Tillery entered the final judgment on Oct. 26 in Dallas in the lawsuit brought by Benjamin and Kristi Reavis. The Dallas County jury returned its verdict Aug. 17.
The couple alleged that in a September 2016 rear-end collision defects caused their front seat backs on their two young children seated in child safety seats behind them. Their attorney said the 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son suffered severe head trauma and other injuries.
Reuters reported in August that the jury awarded damages of $242 million to the Dallas family after finding that defects in the family’s Lexus sedan caused injuries to their two children during a rear-end collision.
The verdict included more than $143.6 million in punitive damages after jurors agreed that the actions of Lexus-maker Toyota Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Sales amounted to gross negligence, according to the Reuters report.
The $242 million award included:
The apportionment of the above damages was:
The $143,600,400 in punitive damages for gross negligence was apportioned as follows:
In a statement, Toyota said it would ask the judge or, if necessary, an appeals court for a new trial.