Imprisoned Harvey Weinstein suing FCA US

From his prison cell, where he resides after a conviction for sexual assault and rape, former producer Harvey Weinstein is suing FCA US for $5 million because, three years ago, his Jeep flipped over. He claims he has been “catastrophically injured and rendered paralyzed” and remains in pain due to the event.

2017 wrangler crash test

Weinstein claims he was driving in Bedford, New York, when a deer leaped out into his path and he slammed on his brakes, which failed. He claims that the Jeep then rolled over. Ironically, he got the Jeep as payment for a product placement in a movie. Less than one year later, Weinstein was convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison; his appeal failed last week. He did have back surgery in late 2019, after the alleged crash.

Harvey Weinstein also sued Ashley Judd, Emma Loman, and Miriam Haley for libel and slander. The current suit has not yet been entered into the Justia lawsuit lookup system.

FCA US parent company Stellantis issued a statement saying they would vigorously defend their product against the claims.

2022 wrangler crash

The lawsuit appears to have been filed just after the 2022 Jeep Wrangler made headlines for tipping onto its side in an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) test. Some suggested that the tip was due to the placement of the barrier, which would be an unfortunate coincidence given the systematic placement of barriers in IIHS testing. IIHS rated the 2022 Wrangler as having good protection for the driver’s head and neck, chest, and hip and thigh, but poor coverage for the driver’s lower leg and foot. Their test dummy’s movement was “well controlled.” The test vehicle did not have side airbags. The rollover did not occur when the similar 2018 model was tested.

Weinstein was driving a 2017 model when the alleged rollover took place. This model was rated as “Good” in the two overlap front tests, and all driver injury measures were rated as “Good” other than “lower leg and foot,” which was rated as Acceptable. (See IIHS data.)

Original story: Reuters and IIHS

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