Man Sues Over Low Roof of Mitsubishi 3000GT and Wins $1 Billion, But Doesn't Get It

The legal battle that began in 2017 has taken a new turn: the Pennsylvania State Appeals Court has overturned a jury verdict awarding Francis Amagasu's family more than $1 billion in compensation following an accident in a 1992 Mitsubishi 3000GT. Previously, the jury had decided to pay a staggering amount, including both damages and punitive sanctions, but now the case will be reconsidered.

The accident occurred in November 2017, when Amagasu was trying to overtake another vehicle in Pennsylvania. Losing control, he drove off the road and collided with three trees. Despite wearing a seat belt, his head hit the low ceiling of the car, resulting in severe spinal injuries and paralysis from the neck down.

The victim's family filed a lawsuit against Mitsubishi, accusing the manufacturer of an unsafe roof design and a faulty seat belt system. In their opinion, the car did not provide adequate protection in the event of a rollover, although the model met federal safety standards at the time of manufacture. The initial jury verdict awarded the family more than $1 billion in compensation, including $156 million for damages, medical expenses and future care, as well as $800 million in punitive damages.

Mitsubishi appealed, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently upheld it, overturning the sentence and sending the case back for a new trial. The Court of Appeal noted that the jurors were not given clear legal instructions and were not told how to assess how much Amagasu's injuries were related to the design of the car. The court stressed that the jurors should have considered whether a safer roof design could have reduced the severity of the damage.

Now the victim's family will have to file a lawsuit again and go through another stage of litigation, which is likely to be lengthy and costly. While the initial amount of compensation turned out to be record-breaking, the appeal showed that procedural errors can completely change the outcome of the case.

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