Nov. 17, 2005 - A jury ordered Ford Motor Co. to pay $61 million to the parents of a 17-year-old who died when the Ford Explorer, in which he was riding, rolled over. The ruling was one of the first to overturn the assumption of a sport utility vehicle's good handling and stability. For the past several years Ford has argued that rollover accidents where due to driver error or defective Firestone tires and not due to a problem with the vehicle's stability and handling. The ruling is expected to clear the way for similar trials against Ford in Florida, Mississippi, and California.

In the Florida case, teenager Lance Hall was a passenger in the Explorer his friend was driving when it flipped over on Alligator Alley between Naples and Miami in 1997.

The jury awarded his mother and father, $61 million in compensatory damages. It did not award punitive damages.

Ford, the second-largest U.S. automaker, said it would appeal the verdict.