The judge handling the case between Porsche and the widow of the driver of the car that crashed and killed actor Paul Walker recently decided that the carmaker was not at fault. However, Walker’s daughter remains relentless in her pursuit of a favorable judgment.
Kristine Rodas is the widow of Roger Rodas, the man who drove the Porsche Carrera GT when he crashed and died with Paul Walker on Nov. 30, 2013, in Santa Clarita, California. She previously filed a case against Porsche Cars of North America for allegedly selling a defective unit, which eventually resulted in the tragic accident.
U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez ruled that there was not sufficient evidence in Kristine Rodas’ claims that the death of her husband was due to the car lacking several key safety features, USA Today reports. The claimant allegedly could not prove that Porsche was responsible for the accident.
"Plaintiff has provided no competent evidence that Rodas' death occurred as a result of any wrongdoing on the part of the defendant," the judge stated.
CNN notes that Walker, 40, and Rodas, 38, were killed after the Porsche they were riding in, running between 80 and 93 mph at the time of impact, went out of control on the road and hit a power pole and several trees. The coroner’s report indicated that Walker survived the crash, but shortly died from his injuries. He was still filming “Fast & Furious 7” when he died.
Although Kristine lost her case, Paul Walker’s daughter, Meadow, 17, remains unaffected by the recent decision. She and her father previously filed two cases against the car company, which are still pending in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Jeff Milam, Meadow’s attorney, stated that their lawsuit is different from Rodas’ suit because Rodas was instantly killed during the crash, while Walker was not. Meadow alleged that Paul survived the crash but was trapped and burned to death due to the defects in the vehicle. The lawyer said that Meadow will continue the fight to hold Porsche accountable for selling a defective product that kills.
On the contrary, Porsche also denied any fault in the accident and design of the car. Porsche stated there were factors outside their control that contributed to the crash, such as the improper maintenance of and alterations done to the vehicle.
Kristine Rodas will also appeal the recent ruling. More updates and details are expected soon.
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