Date: 05-06-2009

Case Style: Jessica Mundy v. Ford Motor Co.

Case Number:

Judge:

Court: Dekalb County, Georgia

Plaintiff's Attorney: Jeff Harris, Harris Penn Lowry, LLP

Defendant's Attorney:

Description: Jessica Mundy sued Ford Motor Company on a products liability theory claiming that she was severely injured and paralyzed when she was run over by her 2004 Ford Explorer after putting it in park and getting out of the vehicle. She claimed that the vehicle falsely indicated that the transmission was in park. When she noticed the vehicle moving after she got out of the car, she tried to reenter the vehicle and was injured.

Mundy produced evidence of 751 complaints about Ford vehicles shifting themselves into reverse after drivers thought that they had placed the gear shift lever in the "park" position.

The defenses asserted by Ford are not available.

Outcome: Plaintiff's verdict $40 million against Ford, including more than $30 million in punitive damages.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

Comments: Editor's Note: The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal agency that regulates auto manufacturers, opened an investigation into "false park" and "park to reverse" claims involving 2002-2005 Ford Explorers.