His mum, his legal guardian, sued the man whose car was parked on the wrong side of the road on Jon's behalf. On December 5, 1995, the New South Wales Supreme Court ruled that Blake should be compensated for the loss of potential earnings as a star in the United States. After taking evidence from actors, directors, and film critics who indicated his career could have been as big as Mel Gibson's, the court awarded him $33 million in damages. This was later reduced to $7.6 million after the defence appealed.