How much did it cost Ford to fix the Pinto?
What caught the public's eye in the Pinto cases was the disclosure that Ford found it cheaper to pay off the families of the victims of Pinto fires than the $137 million it would cost to fix the Pinto immediately, according to an internal Ford memo introduced during a civil trial. That meant it was not cost-effective to do the repairs.
What was the impact of the Pinto case?
The Pinto case did more than enrich an army of lawyers. It also sparked the growth of an ingeniously organized litigation industry that moves quickly when big companies such as Ford stumble into product-liability trouble. Foreign competition had begun to rattle the Big 3 by the late 1960s.
What was the award for the Ford V Pinto case?
Ford appealed the judgment, and the court reduced the award of punitive damages to $3.5 million. However, the court denied Ford’s request to have the punitive damages award thrown out entirely, finding that Ford had knowingly endangered the lives of thousands of Pinto owners.
How long did it take to make a Ford Pinto?
As Executive Vice President and later as President of Ford, Iacocca was the driving force behind the program to produce the Pinto. The Pinto was rushed through production in just twenty-five months so it could be included in Ford’s 1971 line; the normal time span for a new car model was about forty-three months.
How much did Ford lose because of the Pinto?
In the Richard Grimshaw case, in addition to awarding over $3 million in compensatory damages to the victims of a Pinto crash, the jury awarded a landmark $125 million in punitive damages against Ford. The judge reduced punitive damages to 3.5 million.
Who won the Pinto case?
An Indiana farm country jury in the 10-week landmark trial found Ford "not guilty" in the deaths of three teen-age girls whose 1973-model Pinto exploded when a speeding van struck it in the rear Aug. 10, 1978.
How much did the Pinto recall cost Ford?
$50 Million in Costs For Ford, the nation's number‐two auto maker, the Pinto controversy has cost more than $50 million, with no end in sight to the legal battles.
Why did Ford not fix the Pinto?
Simply, Ford's internal "cost-benefit analysis," which places a dollar value on human life, said it wasn't profitable to make the changes sooner. Ford's cost-benefit analysis showed it was cheaper to endure lawsuits and settlements than to remedy the Pinto design.
How much did Ford pay for a Pinto case?
Last week, jury foreman Quinn read in state Superior Court here a verdict assessing $125 million in punitive damages against Ford in a case involving the rupour and explosion of the fuel tank on a 1975 Pinto.
How many Ford Pinto blew up?
Based on historical documents, Ford first performed rear end collision testing on the Pinto way back December 1970, months after it was currently in production. At first, a total of 11 crashes were conducted, and in 8 instances, the gas tanks ruptured and burst into flames.
How much would it have cost Ford to fix the Pinto?
Ford did a cost-benefit analysis to determine how much it would actually cost to repair the Pinto's gas tank. The actual work to the car would just cost $11 in parts and man-hours, but the delay in launch coupled with the number of cars needing repair would cost Ford a staggering $113 million.
Did Ford know about the Pinto?
Ford was accused of knowing the car had an unsafe tank placement then forgoing design changes based on an internal cost-benefit analysis. Two landmark legal cases, Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co. and Indiana v. Ford Motor Co., resulted from fatal accidents involving Pintos.
When was the last Ford Pinto made?
1980The final production year was 1980, as Ford Escort replaced Pinto in the Blue Oval lime-up. But for 10 years, Pinto was a huge part of American automotive consciousness, with 3,173,491 models built, but cut from the line well before its predicted 11-million-unit build-and-sale.
How much is a human life worth Ford?
In contrast, Ford figured that 2,100 accidents would result in 180 burn deaths. They then determined that out of court settlements would amount to $200,000 for each life lost, $67,000 per serious injury, and $700 for each lost vehicle.
Why did Ford Pintos explode?
The poor design of the Pinto's fuel tank and rear end made it vulnerable to crashes, even at low speeds, in which the fuel tank would suffer extreme damage and catch on fire, often trapping the car's occupants inside.
How much is a Ford Pinto?
Q: What is the average sale price of a Ford Pinto? A: The average price of a Ford Pinto is $9,273.
What was the outcome of the Ford Pinto case?
The lawsuit involved the safety of the design of the Ford Pinto automobile, manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. The jury awarded plaintiffs $127.8 million in damages, the largest ever in US product liability and personal injury cases.
What was the outcome of Ford Pinto trial?
Ford Motor Co. was acquitted of reckless homicide by the Pinto jury today after 25 hours of deliberation. The verdict climaxed the 10-week trial of the first American corporation criminally prosecuted in a product defects case.
What happened to Richard Grimshaw?
Mrs. Lilly Gray, the driver of the Pinto, suffered fatal burns and 13-year-old Richard Grimshaw, a passenger in the Pinto, suffered severe and permanently disfiguring burns on his face and entire body. Grimshaw and the heirs of Mrs.
What is a Ford Pinto?
The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company in North America from the 1971 to the 1980 model years. The Pinto was the first subcompact vehicle produced by Ford in North America.
What happened to the Pintos?
There were many Pinto cases back in the day. When they were rear ended, Pintos would explode and catch on fire. Ford started testing these vehicles to determine what was causing the explosion. During the testing, they realized that the seat backs were falling straight back any time a vehicle was rear ended.#N#Ford found out that the parts that were used for the seat backs were not strong enough to hold up over time or through an impact. It only cost Ford a couple dollars more to have more durable parts. That said, when Ford has millions of cars on the assembly line, a few dollars makes a very large difference. Unfortunately, this mindset caused our client severe injury.
How much did David Azizi settle?
David Azizi helped to settle the case for $2.750,000. When seeking an experienced attorney for your crash injuries, please check out our extensive Los Angeles car accident lawyer resources. It will help you understand the steps that are followed with any type of personal injury claim and lawsuit.#N#*Please understand that the settlement and overall compensation will vary from case to case. Contact the Law Offices of David Azizi to better understand what options are available in your specific car, truck accident, or personal injury case.
How much money was awarded to Pinto?
Civil actions were numerous, expensive and embarrassing. A California jury awarded an unprecedented $128 million for a claim against the company as a result of an accident in which a woman was killed and her 13-year-old passenger was burned over 90 percent of his body when her Pinto stalled on a Los Angeles freeway.
When did the Pinto become a top selling subcompact?
The tooling process was well under way. The Pinto and its Mercury counterpart, the Bobcat, went on to become a top-selling subcompact in America in the early 1970s.
How many people died in the 1978 Ford Pinto?
On June 9, 1978, Ford agreed to recall 1.5 million Ford Pinto and 30,000 Mercury Bobcat sedan and hatchback models.
What was the first auto company to be indicted for homicide?
A 1979 landmark case, Indiana vs. Ford Motor Co., made the automaker the first U.S. corporation indicted and prosecuted on criminal homicide charges. The Pinto case did more than enrich an army of lawyers.
How long was the Ford trial?
The three-month long trial was riveting. The attorney prosecuting Ford in the 1980 trial "waved in front of the jury the death certificates of the three girls," according to an account by Automotive News. "You can send a message," prosecuting attorney Michael Cosentino told the jury.
When did Ford stop making pintos?
By the time Indiana authorities indicted the automaker in 1979, U.S. sales had declined to 187,708. Ford ceased Pinto production in July 1980, building just 68,179 Pintos that year.
Did Ford know about the Pinto?
Mother Jones, a left-wing magazine that specialized in investigative journalism, reported in its September/October 1977 issue that Ford knew - and did nothing about - pre-production crash tests that showed that rear-end collisions easily ruptured the Pinto's fuel system.
What were the problems with the Pinto?
Consequently, the Pinto contained a major and potentially dangerous design flaw – the car had no classic, heavyweight bumper, as well as little reinforcement between the rear panel and the gas tank. When a Pinto got rear-ended, it was far too easy, even in a relatively minor accident, for the fuel tank to be ruptured, or worse, driven into the differential and punctured by the large bolts that held it in place. On top of this flaw, the doors could very easily jam after an accident, again due to the cracker-box construction that caused the metal to be so easily twisted and compressed. In other words, the Pinto was considered a deathtrap on four wheels.
Was the Pinto a deathtrap?
In other words, the Pinto was considered a deathtrap on four wheels. Now the conspiracy begins. Ford was fully aware of all these construction problems. However, people didn’t know that until Mother Jones magazine published a stolen copy of an infamous memo that was sent out to all senior management at the Ford Motor Company.
How much did Pinto leave Kinkade?
Lawyers would make no comment about the details of the settlement or the legitimacy of two tantalizing, barely legible handwritten wills that Pinto claimed Kinkade wrote to her, leaving her $10 million and the keys to his hillside mansion. Instead, they issued this brief yet strangely sentimental statement:
Why did Pinto have a security guard?
Estate lawyers posted a security guard within the gates of the estate to make sure Pinto didn’t steal anything. In a recent court hearing, she had agreed to pay $11,000 a month to continue living there, without the intrusive security guard. But that was before the case was settled.
What did Pinto's lawyers say about the Kinkade notes?
Lawyers for the Kinkade estate had said the squiggly notes “speak for themselves” and were confident they would be thrown out of court.
Did Amy Pinto and Nanette Kinkade settle?
After months of name-calling and finger-pointing, lawyers for Nanette Kinkade and Amy Pinto announced Wednes day they have reached a secret settlement. And despite Pinto’s vow months ago to clear her name and explain how she was no gold-digger but rather Kinkade’s soul mate, she has accepted a deal in return for her silence.
Did Pinto and Kinkade have a will?
Stating that Kinkade was “of sound mind and body,” the wills left Pinto his house and $10 million to establish a museum of his works in the studio next door. Pinto’s lawyers interpreted those notes to mean they also included some $66 million worth of Kinkade’s paintings to put on display.
How much was Pinto Walsh's car damaged?
Dal Cielo said Pinto-Walsh had filed a police report, which reflects that her car was vandalized, with estimated damages at $5,000. "Somebody wrote on the back windshield, 'f--- you, b----.' "
What options did Cain give to Pinto-Walsh?
Cain had given Pinto-Walsh's attorneys three options, which consisted of vacating the home; paying all expenses related to the property including its mortgage, property taxes, insurance and maintenance; and paying its fair rental value.
When did Kinkade prepare his will?
The other is for Kinkade's wills or codicils, which he prepared over the course of several years between 2000 and 2007, according to Casas. Casas said two hearings actually took place Monday, with the parties meeting in the morning and returning in the afternoon, as Judge Cain gave Pinto-Walsh's attorneys a chance to bring evidence.
Where is Amy Pinto-Walsh?
Attorneys for the Thomas Kinkade estate and the late artist's girlfriend were in court Monday to iron out rental payments for the Monte Sereno Ridgecrest Drive mansion where Amy Pinto-Walsh has been residing since before the painter's death the morning of April 6.
Did Judge Cain deny Pinto-Walsh's request for security?
Casas said Pinto-Walsh's attorneys wanted that security discontinued, but Judge Cain denied the request. "The property needs to be treated with the respect it deserves," he said.
Has Pinto Walsh's car been vandalized?
About claims that Pinto-Walsh's car has been vandalized as well as some of her friends' vehicles, Casas said he wasn't denying that those incidents occurred, but said the estate doesn't know the specifics of the incidents or when they happened. He also said he didn't think the security concerns were related to the residence, but happened elsewhere either in Los Gatos or another place.
Did the Kinkade estate have access to the Monte Sereno home?
With regard to personal property contained in the home, to which the Kinkade estate currently doesn't have access to, Judge Cain has asked both parties to submit a list of those items for possible removal.
