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Judge Cuts Jeep Fuel Tank Fire Award to $40 Million
A Georgia jury's award of $150 million to the family of a boy killed in a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV crash and fuel tank fire has been reduced to $40 million by the presiding judge, Reuters reports.
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A Georgia jury's award of $150 million to the family of a boy killed in a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV crash and fuel tank fire has been reduced to $40 million by the presiding judge, Reuters reports.
But Judge J. Kevin Chason denied a motion by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV to order a new trial. FCA claims the jury was biased and acted irrationally. The judge says the evidence presented against the company was "overwhelming."
The child was killed after the Jeep was rear-ended and its fuel tank caught fire. The plaintiffs argued the position of the fuel tank near the rear bumper was inherently unsafe. FCA, which noted the tank met federal safety standards, tells Reuters it is weighing its legal options.
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