CAR-RENT FIRM HIT FOR $20M
By DAREH GREGORIAN
A Manhattan pedestrian, paralyzed in an accident caused by a driver of a rental car, has been awarded a $20 million judgment against Budget Rent-A-Car, the victim's lawyers said yesterday.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling awarded 29-year-old Ethan Ruby $20.3 million after he was crippled while walking crossing Delancey Street at Orchard Street on Nov. 29, 2000.
The driver of the Budget rental car had run a light and hit a van that then careened into Ruby, leaving him crippled and in constant pain.
The rental-car driver allegedly had a suspended license, and Budget eventually admitted liability in the case. A jury awarded Ruby $24.5 million in December 2003, which Tingling slightly reduced yesterday.
Ruby's lawyer, Marc Moller, said his client might not have been able to collect anything if not for a state law that holds rental agencies responsible for its customers.
