May 18, 2005
Texas State District Judge Amado Abascal has denied Ford Motor Co.'s request for a new trial in a case in which it was ordered to pay $28 million. The judge said that Ford's claim that the jury was tainted by possible corruption did not prove its right to a fair trial was compromised.
Ford called several witnesses, including Crystal City, Texaas, city manager Diana Palacios. She was on the jury and had acknowledged having a romantic relationship with an attorney in the case and to helping him sign on clients in the lawsuit against Ford.
Ford lawyer David Prichard said the case would be appealed. The plaintiff's attorney branded the Ford complaint as an attempt to "throw spaghetti at the wall and see if it sticks."
Ford was dealt a setback when two jurors recanted earlier sworn statements that Palacios had pressured them to rule in the plaintiffs' favor.
The lawsuit arose from a May 2003 Ford Explorer rollover accident in which two 19-year-old women died and two young men were injured. The four were celebrating high school graduation when the accident occurred. None wore seat belts.
While Ford presented evidence that the driver had been drinking before the accident and was driving at an unsafe speed, attorneys for the teens' families argued that Ford knew it could have installed a window glass that might have prevented the deaths and injuries.
In March, the jury reached a $28 million verdict against Ford Motor Co. Crystal City is 95 miles west of San Antonio.
