Ford Slammed With $55M Infringement Award

Law360, New York (November 23, 2009) -- A federal judge has ordered Ford Motor Co. to pay an inventor a whopping $55 million for infringing a patent for a kind of “puddle lamp” built into cars’ side mirrors, concluding the drawn-out David and Goliath case with a bang.

Judge James B. Zagel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled Wednesday that plaintiff Jacob Krippelz Sr. deserved double the $23 million awarded a year...