The litigation stemming from Toyota’s sudden-acceleration debacle continues to move forward, with the auto maker arguing Thursday that the 200 lawsuits stemming from the problem should be consolidated. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5imJf-xAYjZsiJx5KJN87X2aebzZQD9ELQ9N81
Toyota’s head attorney, Carl Dawson of Georgia, plead the car manufacturer’s case for having the personal injury and wrongful death suits, as well as any potential class action suits, merged.
“All these cases have common issues,” Dawson said. “There will be significant overlap.”
Dawson also argued that the suits should be handled in a California court, since Toyota’s U.S. headquarters is in Los Angeles. He argued his points before the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in San Diego.
The hearing was a circus of lawyers, as The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Two dozen attorneys had only two minutes each to make statement to the judicial panel, arguing that the cases be handled in venues such as Louisiana, for example. The Journal compared the proceedings to speed-dating. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704094104575143690736388422.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection “At stake are huge fees that the only a few lawyers will collect in the suits against Toyota…Lawyers based where the lawsuits are heard will have a good shot at taking the lead position in the cases,” The Journal wrote.
There have been 140 suits filed in federal courts against Toyota, and many more are pending in state courts.
Friday The Los Angeles Times offered an updated tally of the number of deaths now blamed on the acceleration of Toyota vehicles. It is more than 100, according to The Times, twice the number reported two months ago. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-deaths26-2010mar26,0,5790258.story
Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.
http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney
