Marietta Attorneys Dean Phillips Law Office

Dean Phillips Law Office

341 Lawrence Street
Marietta, GA 30060
770-900-9175

  • Home
  • Practice Areas
    • Criminal Defense Attorney
      • Assault & Battery
      • Bench Warrants
      • Burglary
      • Bail Bonds
      • Drug Crimes
      • Hit and Run
      • Homicide
      • Juvenile Defense
      • Misdemeanors
      • Probation Violations
      • Resisting Arrest
      • Sex Offenses & Rape
      • Stalking
      • Theft
      • Weapons Offenses
      • White Collar Crimes
    • Divorce
    • DUI Defense
    • Georgia Gun Trust
    • Gun Trust
    • Personal Injury
      • Brain Spinal Cord Injuries
      • Dog Bites
      • Distracted Driver
      • Medical Malpractice
      • Motorcycle Accident
      • Pedestrian Bicycle Accidents
      • Personal Injury Compensation
      • Reckless Driver
      • Trucking Accidents
      • Wrongful Death
    • Traffic Violations
  • About the Attorney
  • Blog
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Family Law / Significant Wrongful Death Case against Chrysler

November 22, 2016

Significant Wrongful Death Case against Chrysler

A pickup truck rear-ended a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee, causing the gas tank to explode which killed a four-year-old boy. Chrysler, the parent company now known as FCA US, contends that the driver of the truck was responsible, but jurors in the wrongful death case determined otherwise.

The jury initially awarded $150 million to the boy’s family, but the trial judge reduced their compensation to $40 million. Chrysler appealed the decision, feeling that the trial court abused its discretion and permitted the plaintiff’s counsel some leeway in their arguments. Defense attorneys were unhappy with their mention of Ford Pinto issues with exploding tanks and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne’s salary. Chrysler’s lawyers believed that these remarks led to the significant damages amount.

Georgia’s Court of Appeals agreed with the trial court’s April 2015 ruling and upheld its decision.

Additionally, an article on the CBS News website from March 2015 claims that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) started investigating gas tank issues in 2010 for 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees and 2002-2007 Liberties. Chrysler contended that the gas tanks were not defective for three years after the investigation started. In 2013, the NHTSA asked the company to recall their vehicles based on its findings.

Shortly afterward, Chrysler addressed the issue by adding trailer hitches to the vehicles, which many experts claimed would not be effective in protecting the gas tanks. The NHTSA did show that the hitches helped somewhat in low to medium impacts. To complicate matters further, many dealers were unable to or wouldn’t add the hitches, telling customers that parts were not available or that their cars were safe regardless of the hitches.

Overall, about 50 people lost their lives to the gas tank defects, but safety advocates think that’s a conservative estimate.

Filed Under: Family Law Tagged With: Chrysler

Contact Us

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Reality TV Stars Guilty of Obstruction

According to a federal jury, before she was center stage in a slew of reality TV programs, Julie … [Read More...]

Uvalde Shooting Puts Terroristic Threats in the Spotlight

In the months leading up to this tragic school shooting in a quiet Texas town, the gunman apparently … [Read More...]

Hate Crimes in Georgia Increased in 2020

Thanks to a new law, the number of hate crimes that went to Georgia courts was up over 500 percent … [Read More...]

UCW (Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon) in Georgia

Rash of Mass Shootings Raises Weapons Possession Questions Regardless of your political viewpoint, … [Read More...]

What’s the Penalty for First-Time DUI in Georgia?

When people ask us this question, they’re really asking “How do I avoid the penalty for first-time … [Read More...]

The Phillips Law Firm, LLC
341 Lawrence Street
Marietta, Georgia 30060
770-900-9175

Copyright © 2022 · Attorney Advertising. This website is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer client relationship.