$2.5 billion. That’s the price tag on a botched roof. And yes, that number’s absurd—even when it involves two lives lost. But when a Super Duty’s roof folds like a beer can, and a jury finds Ford knew it could happen? That’s not just a tragedy. That’s a reckoning. Ford wants another trial now, claiming jury bias. But let’s be real: they’re just dickering. They got caught selling a truck that couldn’t do its most basic job—protect people in a rollover.

The Mills couple died in 2015 after their F-250 left the road, hit a culvert, and landed on its roof. Debra Mills died at the scene. Herman Mills died at the hospital after a 26-minute extrication. A jury awarded their family $2.5 billion. That includes $1.7 billion in punitive damages, just like in the earlier Hill v. Ford case. That one got tossed for legal mishaps, but jurors in this case apparently mentioned it anyway.

Ford says that influence poisoned the jury. One juror texted Ford’s legal team, writing, “Yes beyond a shadow of doubt there was an influence.” Another allegedly called the trial a “record-breaker” before the verdict even dropped.

Now Ford wants a new trial or, at minimum, a reduction to $4.675 million. The company argues the jury “found that alleged ‘roof crush’ injuries caused Plaintiffs’ deaths on a record that establishes just the opposite.”

Trial or retrial: Ford’s big Super Duty was less safe because of its size

But here’s the thing: this isn’t just about legal loopholes. It’s about safety myths. As I previously wrote, a study found that “For heavier vehicles, additional weight provided negligible extra protection but a substantial increase in crash partner risk.” These Super Duty trucks weren’t safer because of their size—they were deadlier because of their feature-creep-fueled bloat. Especially when the roof crumbles under the weight of the vehicle.

Ford may get its retrial. Maybe it knocks a few zeroes off that verdict. But the damage is done. Not just to the Mills family—but to the myth that heavy equals safe. When your truck’s roof caves during a rollover, it doesn’t matter how much you paid for it—or how much your family can get in a settlement. You’re gone. So choose something safe instead.