Jury In PA Returns $20 Million Verdict Against Honda For Its Motorcycle Catching Fire
On June 18, 2024, a jury in Philadelphia Pennsylvania issued a surprising verdict in Boyd v. Honda. There, the Plaintiff –Boyd — had been operating a 2014 Honda motorcycle collided with a trash truck. At some point, the motorcycle caught on fire.
As a result, Boyd sustained serious and disfiguring injuries. Plaintiff blamed the design of the Honda motorcycle for it catching on fire. However, the defendant — Honda — strongly disagreed.
Honda’s Defenses
First, Honda called attention to the allegedly “defective” part: a fuel cap that popped off on impact, allegedly causing the fire. Honda alleged this was likely like an after market part. In other words, it was not Honda’s responsibility.
Secondly, Honda noted: “[P]laintiff was engaged in highly reckless behavior at the time of the collision and was aware of the risks and danger to himself. Indeed, plaintiff’s own actions were the sole cause of his injuries and not any defect in the Grom.”
Honda Failed to Win Over the Jury
Ultimately, on June 18, 2024, the Philadelphia jury awarded plaintiff-Boyd $2,780,910 in “economic damages” (itemized expenses that exclude more subjective “pain and suffering” type claims). This included
- $1,321,405 (for past medical expenses)
- $562,625 (for future life care expenses)
- $74,880.00 (for past lost wages) and
- $750,000 for future loss of earning potential.
However, the jury was not finished.
Non-Economic Damages
The jury also awarded the Plaintiff $8 million for pain and suffering, $5 million for loss of pleasure of life, and $5 million for scarring/disfigurement and loss of bodily function, for a total of $18,000,000 in non-economic damages.
Note, however, that the concept of “limited tort” — which can limit claims for damages in PA — did not come into play. An operator of a motorcycle injured in a crash cannot have his rights limited by limited tort.
The Plaintiff’s Attorney Was Delighted
“I am delighted that this remarkable jury, that spent over two weeks listening carefully to all the evidence, came to the right conclusion, finding that Honda designed and sold this motorcycle in an unreasonably dangerous condition, causing Jamal Boyd to endure unimaginable gasoline burn injuries, leaving him terribly scarred and disfigured,” noted Boyd’s attorney, Larry E. Coben of Anapol Weiss.
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