Brogdon Et Al V. Ford Motor Company

Case Background

James Edward “Dusty” Brogdon Jr., as Executor of the Estates of Debra Sue Mills and Herman Edwin Mills, along with their surviving children, filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking damages for their parents' injuries and deaths. The crash occurred in Decatur County, Georgia, but the lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court, Georgia Middle, Columbus, where their son and executor, Dusty, resides. Judge Clay D. Land presided over this lawsuit.

Cause

In August 2022, Debra Mills, 64, was driving a 2015 Ford F-250 Super Crew 4x4 King Ranch truck around a right-hand turn. She lost control, causing the truck to veer onto the right shoulder and hit a drainage culvert. The impact sent the vehicle airborne for about 80 feet. It then crashed into the ground and landed upside down.

Debra and Herman Mills suffered fatal injuries when the roof of their 2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty collapsed during the rollover crash. The truck flipped onto its roof, crushing them inside. Debra Mills died at the scene, likely aware that death was imminent. Herman Mills survived for nine agonizing days in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries.

Married for 30 years, the couple left behind three sons, their spouses, eight grandchildren, nine siblings, and many close friends.

Ford sold over 5.2 million Super Duty trucks between 1999 and 2016, all with nearly identical roofs. For more than 20 years, the company knew these roofs were dangerously weak, yet it continued selling them. As a result, hundreds—possibly thousands—of people have died, been paralyzed, or suffered severe injuries. Ford has refused to disclose the exact number of victims and has faced over 200 lawsuits related to roof crush incidents. Most cases were settled, except for three that went to trial.

In August 2022, a jury in Georgia awarded $1.7 billion in punitive damages against Ford in a similar case involving a 2002 F-250. Just three days later, Debra and Herman Mills became the latest victims of this ongoing defect when their truck rolled over in Decatur County.

Damages

The Plaintiffs’ damages result