Case name
Branham v. Ford Motor Co.
Citation
Branham v. Ford Motor Co., 701 S.E.2d 5 (S.C. Sup. Ct. 2010)
Statement of Facts
Cheryl Hale purchased a Ford Bronco (model year 1987) in the year 1999. Two years after purchasing the car, Hale was driving it home with children in the car. She turned to the backseat to ask the children to be quiet when the car veered off the road. She overcorrected and the car rolled over, throwing out one of the children. The child (Branham) was seriously injured.
Branham’s parents sued Ford Motor Co. and Hale in a South Carolina court. Ford was sued on negligence and strict liability for the car rolling over so easily. Ford said that it was Hale’s negligence, not theirs that caused the accident.
Procedural History A South Carolina court ruled that both Ford Co. and Hale were liable and awarded Branham $16,000,000 compensatory and $15,000,000 punitive damages. Ford appealed this decision to the Supreme Court of South Carolina.
Issue Presented
What tests are sufficient for product liability claims and does Branham provide enough evidence to hold Ford Co. liable…show more content… The court began by reviewing the decisions made regarding the vehicle’s design before the vehicle came out. Which suspension to use was debated by executives and engineers within the company, resulting in the executives’ choice. When the company was researching methods to increase the stability of the vehicle, various alternatives were presented, but the one that was chosen is the one that did not affect the release date of the vehicle and saved the company money, but did not achieve the maximum stability. The Bronco’s stability index was dangerously unstable. This evidence caused the trial judge’s determination that Branham provided enough evidence that Ford knew of a product defect before the date of manufacture and thus Ford’s directed verdict request was