Case No. 2:78-cv-70740-AC
Assigned to: District Judge Avern Cohn
Date Filed: 04/03/1978 Date Terminated: 07/13/1990
In 1978, Dr. Robert Kearns, inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper blade, sued Ford Motor Company for infringing on his patent to his invention. After a ten-year court battle, he won a jury award of $5.1 million dollars. After indicating that he would appeal the amount of damages, Ford Motor Company paid Dr. Kearns $10.2 million dollar, twice the amount of the jury award, to settle the case. Dr. Kearns went on to sue many other automobile manufacturers – including General Motors, Chrysler, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Japanese manufacturers as well. In an era where the auto companies all but ruled the world, this case showed that the ‘every man’ could stand up to them – and win!
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