GENESEO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A Livingston County, New York jury has awarded more than $287 million in punitive damages and other compensation to a local man and the estate of his deceased partner, following a fatal accident involving their Harley-Davidson ‘trike’ motorcycle, according to their attorney Paul Edelstein of the law firm The Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown LLP.
The jury ordered defendant Harley-Davidson to pay Harold Morris of Batavia, New York, $120 million in punitive damages and an additional $120 million in punitive damages to be paid to the estate of his longtime companion Pamela SinClair.
The jury also awarded compensation for pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, medical expense reimbursement, future medical reimbursement and future pain and suffering. Additional compensation was awarded to the family of Ms. SinClair.
In June, 2020, 75-year-old Harold Morris and his girlfriend Pamela SinClair were involved in a tragic accident while riding a 2019 Harley-Davidson trike motorcycle. The bike malfunctioned, killing Ms. SinClair and causing catastrophic injuries to Mr. Morris.
This was the trike’s second breakdown. A year before the fatal accident, Mr. Morris’ Harley trike had experienced the very same malfunction. That first time, although Mr. Morris and Ms. SinClair were hospitalized, their injuries were not considered serious.
Shortly after the first accident, Mr. Morris received a recall notice from Harley regarding the trike’s traction control software system. The recall came after Harley customers around the country complained of similar issues with their trikes’ software. Mr. Morris had the vehicle serviced and Harley assured him it was safe to operate. The second, fatal accident, occurred only months later.
Speaking shortly after the verdict was announced, attorney Edelstein commented, “This is small town justice in a big-time way. For over four years, Harley-Davidson has been claiming that both accidents were Harold’s fault, which we knew not to be true. So, the first thing we had to do was exonerate Harold. The second thing was to make sure these horrific events would not happen to anyone else. The message this jury sent was super, super powerful. Companies putting out unsafe and dangerous products must and will be held accountable.”
Watch the entire press conference with Edelstein, Morris and the family of Pamela SinClair here.
Additional b-roll footage can be found here, including:
:00-:45 -- Shots of the trike
:45-1:15 -- Images of Harold Morris and Pam SinClair
1:15-1:36 -- Harold Moris in hospital
1:30-2:00 -- Trike at accident scene
The case is ROBERT C. SINCLAIR, JR., as Administrator of the Estate of PAMELA MARIE SINCLAIR, deceased, vs. HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY GROUP, LLC (Index # 000403-2022) and HAROLD E. MORRIS, vs. HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY GROUP, LLC (Index# 000354-2021), Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Livingston.
About The Edelsteins, Faegenburg & Brown LLP
The Edelsteins, Faegenburg, & Brown LLP has employed three generations of NYC personal injury attorneys for over 85 years. Since 1937, we have worked tirelessly to achieve the highest possible verdicts & settlements for our personal injury clients.
