Paul Walker's daughter files wrongful-death lawsuit against Porsche

Paul Walker.
(Image credit: Tim B. Whitby/Getty Images)

Paul Walker's daughter has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Porsche AG, alleging that the Porsche Carrera GT the actor was riding in when he was killed two years ago was defective.

On Nov. 30, 2013, Walker, 40, was a passenger in his friend Roger Rodas' 2005 Carrera GT. Investigators say the car was believed to be going more than 90 mph when it hit a tree in Santa Clarita, California, and Walker died within seconds of the crash from traumatic injuries and burns. Meadow Walker, 16, claims that the manufacturer used a weaker material in side door reinforcement bars, and used a fuel hose that tore and fanned the flames of the fire.

The complaint also argues that Porsche knew the car — which was marketed as a race car licensed for the road — had a history of instability and that when the vehicle crashed, the shoulder belt anchor was pulled with the rear engine compartment while the seat belt anchor stayed in place, causing Walker's torso to snap back "with thousands of pounds of force, thereby breaking his ribs and pelvis, flattening his seat, and trapping him in a supine position, where he remained alive until the vehicle erupted into flames 1 minute and 20 seconds later." Meadow Walker's attorney, Jeff Milam, said in a statement that his client filed the suit "with great reluctance," and is "a teenage girl who is still dealing with the tragic loss of her father." In 2014, Rodas' widow filed a similar lawsuit, with Porsche responding that there are no mechanical defects in the Carrera GT, the Los Angeles Times reports.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.