$4.9 Billion Punitive Award

Sunday, August 15th, 1999 Litigation

In what has been called one of the largest products liability awards on record, General Motors Corp., based in Detroit, has been ordered to pay $4.9 billion in a product liability case involving a gas tank explosion on a 1979 Chevrolet Malibu. "This decision underscores the desperate need for the reform of the U.S. tort system that the Alliance has been championing for years," said Patrick Watts, assistant vice president for the Alliance of American Insurers in Downers Grove, Ill. "While the tragedy that befell the plaintiffs is great, a punitive award of $4.9 billion is astronomical, especially coming on top of $107 million in compensatory damages."

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http://www.claimsmag.com/issues/aug99/award.asp

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