FedEx Loses Challenge to $165 Million Verdict for Fatal Crash

A $165 million jury award to members of a family involved in a fatal collision, blamed on the negligence of a FedEx Ground Package System Inc. semi-truck’s driver, isn’t excessive, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled.

The damages were “for a tragic accident that claimed half of a young family in a single instant and left surviving family members physically and emotionally injured,” Justice Julie J. Vargas said Thursday.

The high court concluded “that substantial evidence supported the verdict and that the jury’s award was not the result of passion or prejudice.” Trucking contractors and the estate of the truck ...