A California appeals court said a woman who was paralyzed after her Ford Explorer rolled over is entitled to $82.6 million in damages from the automaker.
The 4th District Court of Appeal was asked by the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case after Ford Motor Co. (nyse: F - news - people ) appealed the award, arguing that it was being punished even though the design of the vehicle met federal safety standards.
Benetta Buell-Wilson was driving on an interstate east of San Diego in January 2002 when she swerved to avoid a metal object and lost control of her 1997 Explorer, which rolled 4 1/2 times. The mother of two was paralyzed from the waist down when the roof collapsed on her neck, severing her spine.
A jury initially awarded Buell-Wilson $369 million, including $246 million in punitive damages but courts twice cut the size of the award.
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