On Monday The Wall Street Journal did a piece headlined “Lawyers Vie For Lead Roles In Toyota Lawsuits” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703457104575121571198599134.html?KEYWORDS=toyota+lawsuits as well as a blog on the topic. http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2010/03/15/pick-me-toyota-plaintiffs-lawyers-to-plead-their-cases-in-san-diego/tab/print/

There are so many cases pending against Toyota, with more to be filed, that The Journal suggested that it’s likely that many of the claims in the cases will be consolidated.

There will be a hearing held March 25 by the U.S. Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation, which will be responsible for consolidating cases, in San Diego federal court.

Arsenault is conducting a “Toyota Symposium” right before the Judicial Panel hearing. One of the panels will be on “Liability Issues: The Mechanical vs. Electronic Debate.”

Over the weekend there was more news about Toyota litigation, as the Orange County District Attorney’s Office filed suit against the auto maker. The suit charges that Toyota knowingly sold thousands of hundreds of thousands of cars with acceleration problems, http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oc-toyota13-2010mar13,0,4331092.story

The Los Angeles Times also wrote a fascinating history of auto-safety litigation, which credits lawsuits with leading to life-saving innovations to cars over the past 50 years. Those improvements include gas tanks that’s won’t explode if a car is hit in the rear, and dashboards and steering columns that absorb a body’s impact. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-litigate14-2010mar14,0,2005316.story