Chrysler Grp. LLC v. Walden

The Court affirmed the $40M verdict for plaintiffs in a wrongful death suit arising after the gas tank of a Chrysler Jeep Grand Cherokee was puncture during a collision, causing the vehicle to catch fire and resulting in the death of a 4-year-old boy.

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This case involves a tragic vehicle collision that resulted in the death of four-year-old Remington Walden. The collision occurred when the child was a passenger in the backseat of a 1999 Chrysler Jeep Grand Cherokee. Bryan Harrell, a co-defendant who has not appealed, was driving a pickup truck and struck the back of the Grand Cherokee. The gas tank of the Grand Cherokee was punctured in the wreck and the vehicle caught fire. Remington Walden died in the fire.

In 2012, Remington Walden’s parents filed this action against Chrysler Group, LLC n/k/a FCA US LLC and Harrell. They alleged that Chrysler acted with a reckless or wanton disregard for human life in the design or sale of the Grand Cherokee, and that Chrysler breached a duty to warn of the hazard associated with the use of the vehicle. After a nine-day trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs, awarding $120 million in damages for wrongful death and $30 million in damages for pain and suffering. The jury found Harrell to be one percent at fault and Chrysler to be ninety-nine percent at fault. Chrysler filed a motion for new trial, which the trial court denied, conditioned on the plaintiffs’ acceptance of a remittitur of the wrongful death verdict to $30 million and of the pain and suffering verdict to $10 million. The plaintiffs accepted the remittitur, and the trial court entered judgment accordingly.

Chrysler Grp. LLC v. Walden

The Court affirmed the $40M verdict for plaintiffs in a wrongful death suit arising after the gas tank of a Chrysler Jeep Grand Cherokee was puncture during a collision, causing the vehicle to catch fire and resulting in the death of a 4-year-old boy.

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