Texas Jury Finds Toyota Negligent In Accident, Awards $242M To Family

A Texas jury awarded damages of $242 million to a Dallas family after finding that defects in the family’s Lexus sedan caused injuries to their two children during a rear-end collision, the law firm representing the plaintiffs said on Friday. The verdict by the jury in Dallas County District Court includes more than $143.6 million in punitive damages after jurors agreed that the actions of Lexus-maker Toyota Motor Corp and Toyota Motor Sales amounted to gross negligence, the Law Offices of Frank L. Branson said in a statement. The collision involving the family’s 2002 Lexus ES 300 sedan occurred in September 2016. The 3-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter of Benjamin and Kristi Reavis were in the car’s back seat, in child safety seats, the statement said.