$10.4M

Lowe Trial Lawyers
$10.4 Million Verdict for Client Paralyzed by Defective Seat in Ford Explorer

Key Details

Settlement Amount:

$10.4 Million

Location:

Palm Beach County, Florida

Practice Area:

Product Liability

Preview:

Partner James A. Lowe won a landmark $10.4 million verdict against Ford Motor Company for a client rendered quadriplegic when her Explorer's seat collapsed upon rear impact — the recliner mechanism sheared off and she was thrown backward out of her seatbelt.

Content:

Partner James Lowe won a $10.4 million verdict in Palm Beach County, Florida, against Ford Motor Company for a client who was paralyzed by a defective seat in her 2000 Ford Explorer. On October 30, 2001, the client, age 60, was properly seat belted and operating her vehicle when, while stopped and waiting to turn left into her tennis club, her vehicle was struck from behind by a Toyota Solara traveling at approximately 60 miles per hour.

The teeth on the recliner mechanism gears stripped and sheared off, causing the client's seat to collapse entirely onto the rear seat. This allowed her to be thrown out of her seatbelt into the rear seatback, where she suffered a severely fractured cervical spine that left her a quadriplegic. The recliner mechanism failure was the result of a design defect in the Ford Explorer's seat.

The jury found that Ford Motor Company had placed the Explorer on the market with a defect in the seat design that was a legal cause of the Plaintiff's severe injuries. The unanimous verdict awarded $1 million to her husband for his losses, and $9.4 million to the client — a landmark result in automobile products liability litigation achieved by partner James A. Lowe.

James A. Lowe

Founding Partner

James A. Lowe founded the firm with a mission to provide fearless, client-first legal representation across all practice areas.

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