He Filed a Lawsuit Regarding the Low Roof of His Mitsubishi 3000GT, Won $1 Billion, and Subsequently Lost Everything | Carscoops

      A jury awarded over $1 billion following a crash in 1992, but the decision was overturned in court, and the case is being sent back for a retrial.

      Mitsubishi was involved in a $1 billion lawsuit concerning a 1992 3000GT accident. The appeals court has ruled that the jurors did not receive clear legal instructions. As a result, the case will return to court for a full retrial.

      A Pennsylvania court has recently annulled one of the largest automotive liability verdicts in recent history, nullifying a jury's decision that Mitsubishi should pay more than $1 billion in damages. This case originated from a 2017 crash involving a 1992 Mitsubishi 3000GT, which left the driver, Francis Amagasu, paralyzed from the neck down.

      The crash occurred in November 2017 when Amagasu, while driving his 3000GT in Pennsylvania, attempted to overtake another vehicle. He lost control, veered off the road, and collided with three trees. Despite wearing a seatbelt, Amagasu’s head struck the roof, resulting in severe spinal injuries.

      The Family’s Lawsuit

      Amagasu’s family filed a lawsuit against Mitsubishi, claiming that the seatbelt system was flawed and the roof design was dangerously low. They argued that the car did not provide sufficient protection during a rollover, despite the 3000GT meeting or exceeding federal safety standards at the time of its release.

      Despite these claims, a jury ruled in favor of the family, awarding them an astonishing $1,009,969,395.32 in damages.

      This total included over $156 million in compensatory damages, broken down into $925,477 for past medical expenses, $12.5 million for future care, $2.2 million for lost earning capacity, $20 million for past non-economic damages, and $120 million for long-term suffering. Additionally, the jury imposed $800 million in punitive damages against Mitsubishi, according to court records.

      Mitsubishi promptly appealed the verdict. Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled in favor of the automaker, overturning the original verdict and mandating a new trial.

      The appeals court determined that the trial jury had not received proper instructions and had not been asked to evaluate whether Amagasu's injuries would have been less severe if the car had been designed more safely.

      “Without a jury instruction directing the jury on how to consider this evidence, the trial court failed to properly ‘educate [the jury] as to the points of law’ and how they were ‘to decide the case by applying the court’s instructions to the evidence presented,’” stated the appeals court.

      With the verdict annulled and the case being returned for a new trial, the legal dispute is far from finished. The family will likely need to refile the lawsuit and undergo another potentially lengthy and costly litigation process.