[ZTWsquared]

meford4u,Jan 24 2006, 10:51 PM Wrote:would your answer change if the settlement was say.......$1?
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Interesting question ... according to all three of the lawyers in my family the fact that the settlement details were undisclosed means both parties agreed to keep them secret, and that invariably means that the settlement was for a very large sum.

If the settlement had been for just a token amount (ie: $1) undoubtedly Ford would have made sure we all knew about it.

The sad thing about all of this is that Ford could have easily predicted this lawsuit (and its outcome) when they decided to engineer the fix for the cops.

I was part of Ford of Canada's communication team that handled the Firestone crises and the estimate of financial damage from just the negative publicity spillover from the states was huge; even though it wasn't Ford's fault and even though there weren't any "proven" injuries in this country. Consumers just had this feeling that Ford was hiding something.

When it comes to potential product liability issues the automotive industry for the most part is still caught up in the tired 20th century m.o. of deny, delay, obsfucate, deny some more, delay some more and then settle out of court at the last minute when it appears a loss is imminent.

One day in our lifetime automotive companies will figure out that it is actuallly good business to make decisions based on what is morally and ethically the right thing to do, and not based solely on share value. The irony is that this approach would probably also be good for share value in the long run.

I appreciate your support of the company you work for because I suspect it also means you work hard to do a good job, and that's important to me because my brother and his family drive around in a Freestar.

I just hope for your sake and for the other good Ford employees like you, that the people running your company learn a more enlightened way to win consumers' hearts and loyalty ... and sooner than later. IMO it starts by paying more than lip service to the safety of their customers.

Cheers.