Question 1

In a way, the Ford Pinto trial was a matter of luck because Indiana:

Accepted Answer

The Ford Pinto trial was significantly influenced by Indiana's legal definition of "person" in its homicide statutes, which had been amended to include corporations. This change allowed for the possibility of prosecuting a corporation for criminal acts, such as homicide, in a way that was not possible in many other jurisdictions at the time.

Question 2

According to the authors of Corporate Crime Under Attack, Ford's Pinto prosecution would not have taken place if the Ulrichs' accident had occurred a decade earlier.

Accepted Answer

The authors argue that a decade earlier, the prevailing legal interpretation of criminal liability for corporations was much narrower and it was unlikely that the Pinto prosecution would have occurred in such a legal environment.

Question 3

In the Ford Pinto prosecution, the specific charges brought under Indiana law were for which, if any, of the following crimes?

Accepted Answer

The specific charges brought under Indiana law in the Ford Pinto prosecution were for reckless homicide.

Question 4

On the excerpts from the "Watergate tapes," who visited President Nixon to ask him to help the Ford Motor Company obtain relief from the pressing problems created by the safety standard imposed by the Department of Transportation?

Accepted Answer

In the excerpt, a conversation between President Nixon and John Ehrlichman, Ehrlichman mentions that Lee Iacocca (then president of Ford Motor Company) had visited the White House to ask for relief from safety standards imposed by the Department of Transportation.

Question 5

With respect to the planning and design of the Pinto automobile, the so-called limits of 2000 pertained to which, if any, of the following objectives?

Accepted Answer

The wording in the question suggests that there were "limits of 2000" that applied to the planning and design of the Pinto automobile. Option A is the only one that includes an objective that could reasonably be subject to such limits. Keeping the weight of the car under 2,000 lbs would have been a very specific constraint that would have influenced many design decisions, and keeping the price under $2,000 would have been a key marketing goal. Option B is unlikely, as the number of parts needed to construct a car is not typically subject to arbitrary limits. Option C is also unlikely, as only producing 2,000 cars would be an extremely small production run for a major carmaker.

Question 6

In his magazine article, Dowie revealed:

Accepted Answer

The passage states that in his magazine article, Dowie revealed "an internal memo wherein Ford executives said that it was more profitable to settle accident claims than to repair the Pinto."

Question 7

According to the authors of Corporate Crime Under Attack, Dowie's "Pinto Madness," the Grimshaw case, the "60 Minutes" segment on the Pinto, and Swigert and Farrell's study all helped to portray the Ford Motor Company as a:

Accepted Answer

All of these sources portrayed the Ford Motor Company as a company that prioritized profits over human lives, making them a conventional sociopathic criminal.

Question 8

In the article "Pinto Madness," Mark Dowie argued that:

Accepted Answer

In the article, Dowie argues that Ford knew about the danger of the Pinto's fuel tank design and decided not to fix it, despite the potential loss of human lives, because it was cost-effective and profitable. He points to internal memos and documents that support this argument.

Question 9

Which of the following were important events in the "Pinto crusade" that helped set the stage for the Pinto prosecution?

Accepted Answer

All of the events listed were important in the "Pinto crusade" that helped set the stage for the Pinto prosecution. "Pinto Madness" by Mark Dowie was an influential article that exposed the flaws in the Pinto's design and the unethical decisions made by FMC. The large jury verdict against FMC in a California civil case involving the Pinto was significant because it demonstrated the public's willingness to hold corporations accountable for their actions. The investigation by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration provided further evidence of the Pinto's safety issues. The story critical of FMC and the Pinto that was broadcast nationally on CBS-TV's "60 Minutes" brought widespread attention to the issue and helped to galvanize public opinion against FMC.

Question 10

The California case in which a jury awarded $125 million in punitive damages against Ford for injuries that occurred in a Pinto was:

Accepted Answer

The California case in which a jury awarded $125 million in punitive damages against Ford for injuries that occurred in a Pinto was the Grimshaw case.

Question 11

Which of the following did Neil Graves not say regarding the Ulrich's accident?

Accepted Answer

Neil Graves did not mention anything about the driver of the van being drunk or on drugs, so option D is the correct answer. He did mention options A, B, and C.

Question 12

Which of the following factors helped make Ford's prosecution for reckless homicide possible?

Accepted Answer

The fact that the accident was not a "normal crime" made it possible for Ford to be prosecuted for reckless homicide.

Question 13

Ford had the technology to reduce the likelihood that the Pinto's gas tank would puncture and cause the car to catch on fire.

Accepted Answer

Ford had conducted tests that showed that adding a protective shield to the gas tank could reduce the risk of fire in a rear-end collision. However, they decided not to implement this change due to cost concerns.

Question 14

According to the authors of Corporate Crime Under Attack, in the Ford Pinto trial, the Ford Company officials were least afraid of:

Accepted Answer

The authors state that the Ford Company officials were least afraid of the fine that would be imposed. They were more concerned about the potential criminal conviction, prison sentences, and damage to their reputations.

Question 15

If convicted under Indiana law, the defendant(s) in the Ford Pinto prosecution faced a maximum punishment of:

Accepted Answer

Under Indiana law, the maximum punishment for a corporation found guilty of a misdemeanor offense is a fine of up to $10,000 per count. For a felony offense, the maximum fine increases to $30,000 per count. In the Ford Pinto case, the defendants were charged with three misdemeanor counts of reckless homicide, so the maximum punishment they faced was a fine of up to $10,000 per count, paid by the Ford Motor Company. There was no possibility of imprisonment for individual executives such as Henry Ford II or Lee Iacocca.

Question 16

One of the reasons why Ford was indicted in Elkhart, Indiana, was that the county prosecutor was a liberal who backed Ralph Nader's brand of consumer protection.

Accepted Answer

It is not stated why Ford was indicted in Elkhart, Indiana, and there is no mention of the county prosecutor's political leanings or support for Ralph Nader.

Question 17

What made the Ford Pinto trial such an unusual case?

Accepted Answer

The Ford Pinto trial was unusual because it was one of the first instances where a corporation itself was put on criminal trial for a violent crime, specifically related to the deaths caused by the design flaws of the Pinto car.

Question 18

Why did the three teenage girls die in their Pinto on Highway 33 in Indiana? Was a "crime" committed?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why did the three teenage girls die...

Question 19

Would Ford Motor Co. have been charged with "reckless homicide" a decade earlier? Why not? How was this effort to "criminalize" Ford a "sign of the times"?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Would Ford Motor Co. have been charged...

Question 20

How was the decision to prosecute Ford influenced by an ongoing "crusade" against the Pinto? How was Ford portrayed that made it seems like a "criminal"? What role did Mark Dowie's "Pinto Madness" article play in this?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How was the decision to prosecute Ford...

Quiz 4: Assessing Blame