Man Gets $57 Million in Invention Lawsuit

A mechanic who came up with an idea for a snowmobile fuel-injection system won a $57-million court award against companies he sued for stealing his invention. The federal jury ruling came after nine years of legal battles between Ron Chasteen and snowmobile maker Polaris Industries of Minneapolis and supplier Fuji Heavy Industries of Tokyo. At issue was a fuel-injection system for two-stroke snowmobile engines. The jury awarded $24 million in compensatory damages against Polaris, plus $10 million in punitive damages. Fuji was assessed $15 million in compensatory damages and $8 million in exemplary damages.