Columbus, GA — In a landmark ruling, a federal jury in Columbus delivered the highest jury verdict in Georgia’s history when it ordered Ford to pay $2.5 billion to the survivors of a couple who tragically perished in a rollover accident involving one of its Super Duty trucks. The verdict, awarded in February 2025 for an accident that occurred three years prior, is emblematic of a series of hefty penalties that have hit major corporations over failures and negligence leading to severe injuries and deaths.
The plaintiffs, children of Herman, 74, and Debra Mills, 64, argued that the 2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty their parents were driving had a weak roof that crushed during the rollover in Decatur County on August 22, 2022. Despite Ford’s argument that the roof’s deformation was not responsible for the couple’s deaths, the substantial award reflects the jury’s agreement with the plaintiffs.
Shortly before this historic decision, another jury in Gwinnett County had delivered a similar verdict against Ford. In August 2022, Ford was ordered to pay $1.7 billion over the deaths of Voncile and Melvin Hill, who died under similar circumstances in 2014 involving a rollover of their 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty. Though this was the largest state verdict until overtaken in 2025, it was annulled by the Georgia Court of Appeals in November 2024, with the case slated for potential review by the Georgia Supreme Court.
In other significant cases, a jury in Rabun County awarded $200 million to the parents of 7-year-old Ryan Batchelder, who died in a boating accident in 2014 caused by an undisclosed hazard from Tennessee boatmaker Malibu Boats. Despite a holding that found the boat’s driver 75% responsible, the verdict spotlighted the manufacturer’s liability in watercraft accident cases.
DeKalb County also witnessed large verdicts with a jury ordering Sony Music Holdings to compensate the families of two men fatally shot at a rap concert in 2017 with $160 million, and a different jury awarding $140 million to the family of a tenant killed in a 2017 fire at the Venetian Hills apartment complex.
Another notable case involved the awarding of $135 million by a Columbus federal jury in April 2023 to a Stewart County couple who suffered environmental damage due to negligent construction of a solar farm adjacent to their property. However, this was later reduced to $5 million by the trial judge in October 2023.
Among these, a distressing case also unfolded in December 2022 when a Bibb County jury awarded $118 million to Betty Gill, whose severely mentally disabled son was allegedly beaten by staff at an assisted living facility. This verdict brought attention to the abuse vulnerable individuals face in care settings, resulting in $20 million in compensation and $90 million in punitive damages.
In another incident involving personal safety, a Fulton County jury awarded $103.5 million in September 2023 to Dale Adams, who was severely injured in a construction zone due to negligent driving by Ashley Claxton, who later entered a plea deal for related charges.
Lastly, a sobering $100 million award was directed in August 2022 to Jerry Blasingame, a homeless man left paralyzed when tased by an Atlanta police officer. Although an initial judge ruled the city could not be held liable, reducing the award against the officer to $21 million, Blasingame’s death in September 2023 marked a tragic end to his long struggle for justice.
These cases, while highlighting individual tragedies, underscore the broader implications of corporate and individual accountability in public safety matters. They demonstrate the perennial tension between businesses’ duty of care and the public’s demand for justice in the face of negligence and harm.
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