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Jury Orders Chrysler to Pay $105 Million

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From Associated Press

A Tennessee jury ordered DaimlerChrysler to pay more than $105 million, saying the company’s minivan seats were unsafe and led to a baby’s death in a car crash. The verdict was for $98 million in punitive damages, atop a $7.5-million compensatory damage award.

The lawsuit said 8-month-old Joshua Flax was riding in the back seat of a 1998 Dodge Caravan in Nashville in 2001 when the vehicle was rear-ended, causing the front passenger seat to collapse on him.

The company denounced the verdict, saying its seat designs surpass federal and industry standards. DaimlerChrysler spokesman Jason Vines said a reckless driver traveling at twice the speed limit caused the death.

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