Opinion ID: 1829871
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: the degree of reprehensibility of defendant's conduct.

Text: The evidence showed that General Motors was aware of this hazard prior to placing the vehicle on the market. Evidence further showed that after complaints were made ... General Motors revised the PROM in an attempt to correct the problem. General Motors, however, concealed this from the public and did not notify any of its purchasers, or prospective purchasers, of the problems related to these vehicles. Accordingly, the Court finds ... the degree of reprehensibility of Defendant General Motors in this case to be great and that the damages should be high. Simply put, General Motors made a business judgment to risk damage to property and persons from the defect in the vehicle rather than to expend the substantial sum necessary to recall and replace the defective PROMs. This is not a case where the death occurred as a result of mere inadvertence nor even where wanton conduct occurred on a single occasion. Here General Motors placed hundreds of thousands of its customers' lives at risk in order to save money and increase its profits. In this Court's opinion, its wrongdoing was both intentional and totally intolerable in our society. In considering the degree of reprehensibility of the Defendant's conduct, this Court should consider the duration of the conduct, the degree of Defendant's awareness of the hazard which the conduct caused or is likely to cause and any concealment or coverup of that hazard. As previously noted, General Motors was aware of the defect in the fuel delivery system during the design phase and has had numerous reports of malfunction since these vehicles were manufactured and sold. The Defendant admitted that it never advised purchasers of the vehicle of the problems but rather utilized what was referred to at trial as a `silent' or `unpublished' recall. If a complaint was made concerning a malfunction of the fuel delivery system, General Motors would install a new PROM with no cost to the customer. By handling the defect in this manner, General Motors avoided the necessity of replacing the PROM for customers who did not complain. Clearly, it covered up the existence of the hazard by this procedure. This Court understands it is to consider verdicts in similar cases in determining whether the wrongful death damages awarded were excessive. Unfortunately, this Court can find no reported decision in Alabama where a defendant's conduct even approached the degree of reprehensibility of Defendant General Motors' conduct in this case. Certainly the conduct of the Defendant in Clardy v. Sanders, 551 So.2d 1057 (Ala.1989), was egregious in racing down a city street while intoxicated. However, that conduct occurred on a single occasion and while it put numerous persons at risk, in this Court's opinion it in no way approached the disregard for human life evidenced by General Motors in this case. The Court has considered the very recent case of [ Burlington Northern R.R. v. Whitt, 575 So.2d 1011 (Ala.1990),] decided by the Supreme Court of Alabama. In that case the court reduced a wrongful death award from $15 million to $5 million. There is simply no comparison between the conduct of the Defendant General Motors here. The decision by the Alabama Supreme Court to uphold a $5 million recovery in that case is substantial authority that this verdict should not be reduced. This Court has been provided with evidence of verdicts of this size or larger in other courts in Alabama and verdicts of this size or larger which have been affirmed in appellate courts in other states. The amount of this verdict is certainly not shocking considering the wrongdoing of Defendant General Motors.