Alabama Court Orders New Trial on $8.5 Million Verdict Against Ford

The Alabama Supreme Court has thrown out an $8.5 million verdict against Ford Motor Co. and ordered a new trial, saying a judge made an error by asking jurors if they could serve for four weeks. The judgment was awarded to a Gadsden woman who was seriously injured in the rollover of a Mercury Mountaineer sports utility vehicle in Georgia. Her lawsuit claimed the vehicle was unstable and rolled over too easily.