Ford Motor Company is no stranger to personal injury law suits.  The auto giant has faced several hundred suits involving car accidents with the Ford Explorer, a sports-utility vehicle notorious for its ability to roll over.

Unfortunately for Benetta Buell-Wilson, she learned the hard way.  In a 2002 car accident near San Diego, the 46 year old mother of two was severely injured when her Ford Explorer flipped over 4 1/2 times after she swerved to avoid a metal object in the road.  As a result, she was paralyzed from the waist down.

In a landmark case, her San Diego personal injury attorney argued that the vehicle was defective in its very design.  Indeed, it must have been so, since the roof of the vehicle was too weak to withstand the rollover, thus collapsing on Buell-Wilson's neck and severing her spine.  She was awarded damages in the amount of $369 million, including $246 million in punitive damages.  The amount was subsequently decreased to $55 million (plus interest) on appeal.  The total amount of the judgment is now $87 million, with interest on the unpaid portion.  This amount is the largest punitive award  ever upheld by a California Court of Appeals.