Most civil lawsuits pay out under US$50,000. A few notable exceptions do exist, however. Here is a list of the four biggest ever civil lawsuit settlements.
Big Payback From Big Tobacco
Cigarette smoking is one of the biggest causes of premature death in the United States. Tobacco companies tried for many years to disguise this fact. They received almost no punishment for this deception until 1998, when 46 states banded together to sue big tobacco companies in an attempt to recover the money spent on caring for sick smokers. The tobacco companies were ordered to pay $206 billion.
Justice For Robert Middleton?
Thirteen-year-old Don Collins doused eight-year-old Robert Middleton in petrol and set it alight in 1998. This shocking attack left Middleton with terrible burns all over his body. The case shocked the world. How could one child hurt another so terribly?
Twelve years later in 2010, Middleton dies of cancer. His family argued that the burns inflicted by Collins were the cause of the cancer and pressed for him to be charged as an adult and simultaneously punished in the civil courts.
Both cases were successful. Collins was imprisoned for the wrongful death of Robert Middleton and the civil case resulted in $150 billion in punitive charges. Whether this was the right outcome from a moral or justice perspective is up for debate, however. No amount of revenge can bring back a dead loved one.
General Motors Pays Out
General Motors – the legendary American vehicle manufacturer – has a rather long legal rap sheet. The company has had to pay out on everything from vehicle safety defects to poor working conditions for manufacturers. One of the biggest lawsuit losses ever incurred by the auto behemoth was ordered by a judge after a 1993 accident. The Anderson family were traveling in their Chevy Malibu when it was hit by a drunk driver.
The fuel tank of the car immediately ruptured, covering all six members of the family in burning petroleum. All of the family members were seriously burned and had their lives completely changed. A judge eventually ordered General Motors to pay $4.9 billion dollars to the family – some of which was punitive and some of which was related to the injuries incurred by the Andersons. Vehicle accidents are one of the most common reasons for people to hire a personal injury attorney.
Donald French’s Nightmare Day
Donald French managed a trackside gas station in Gainesville. In 1997, he was sitting in his office minding his own business when a freight train entered – uninvited. A Norfolk Southern train carrying pickup trucks had catastrophically derailed near the gas station, with parts of the train barreling into the unsuspecting French’s office.
A point had been set incorrectly, which meant that the train flew off the tracks. Points are the changeable sections of track that allow rail vehicles to change direction. French was injured, as you might expect. He suffered from, among other things, a traumatic brain injury which seriously affected his ability to live and work. He was awarded $46 million.