Ford Loses Appeal in Windstar Seat Belt Suit

Ford Motor Co. lost its appeal of a $30-million verdict by a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury that found the company sold Windstar minivans with a defective seat belts.

Ford was sued by relatives of Johan Karlsson, who was 5 years old in 1996 when the family’s minivan hit a roll of steel that fell from a truck on a highway, breaking the child’s spine and leaving him a paraplegic.