Jury: Hyundai Owes 240 Million USD in Punitive Damages

A US jury has ordered Hyundai to pay 240 million USD in punitive damages after finding that a manufacturing defect in a Hyundai vehicle caused a crash that killed two cousins in July 2011.

Jurors in Montana had yesterday awarded actual damages of 1 million USD to each parent and 500,000 USD to each sibling of 19-year-old Trevor Olson and 14-year-old Tanner Olson, who died in the head-on crash. Jurors also ruled Trevor Olson's estate should receive 2.6 million USD for lost earnings.

It is unclear if the punitive damages will stand. Montana has a 10 million USD cap on such damages, but that is being challenged after a District Court judge in Butte ruled it wasn't high enough to deter future wrongdoing by wealthy companies.

A Hyundai spokesman said today that he would contact the company's legal department before commenting.