Karlsson v. Ford Motor Co.

Opinion

RUBIN, J.

Defendant Ford Motor Company (Ford) appeals from the judgment entered after a jury verdict in this product liability action awarded plaintiff Johan Karlsson more than $30 million in compensatory and punitive damages. We hold that evidence and issue preclusion sanctions that were ordered against Ford for various discovery violations were properly imposed before trial. We also hold that those sanctions were, for the most part, properly applied during the trial in the form of jury instructions, evidentiary rulings, and plaintiff’s jury arguments, and that any errors by the court…