Opinion ID: 2275888
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: evidence and argument in the record concerning ford's extraterritorial conduct

Text: Similar to what occurred in State Farm , the jury in Sand Hill considered Ford Motor Company's conduct on a nationwide scale in arriving at the punitive damages award of $20 million. The jury heard testimony regarding the number of vehicles sold nationwide that contained the defective transmission (6.5-7 million), the number of reports nationwide of similar incidents of inadvertent shifts from park to reverse (by 1980 the count was 23,000), and the number of individuals who were killed by such incidents nationwide (hundreds). Counsel for the plaintiff advised the jury in closing that we have to make them pay and proceeded to discuss the number of defective Ford transmissions that were on the road. It is clear that the jury was encouraged to punish Ford for its conduct throughout the country. In applying the analysis set forth in State Farm , we find that the nexus between the conduct and the specific harm to the plaintiff in Sand Hill is evident from the fact that the incidents were of a similar nature. While the jury may evaluate those incidents in determining Ford's culpability, a new trial on the amount of punitive damages is required since the jury instructions contained no limitations on extraterritorial punishment.