Judge Handling Toyota Suits Still Needs To Pick Lead Attorneys

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Posted on 16th May 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Uncategorized

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A U.S. District Court judge Thursday held the first official hearing on 75 consolidated lawsuits stemming from the sudden acceleration of Toyota vehicles. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704635204575242590535122412.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

Judge James Selna, sitting in Santa Ana, Calif., conceded that resolving the dozens of cases is daunting, but he added that it was a “doable task,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

One of the matters Selna will have to decide is which of the roughly 100 plaintiffs attorneys will take a lead role in the litigation. Those lawyers will share in an estimated $500 million in legal fees stemming from the cases, which make Toyota potentially liable for billions of dollars in damages.

The lawyers for Toyota recommended that the lawsuits be divided up depending on what the plaintiff alleges caused the sudden, and sometimes deadly, acceleration of the vehicles. Such reasons would include gas pedals getting stuck on mats and electronic bugs.

The judge was also warned that the court might have as evidence Japanese engineering documents that will be hard to translate into English.

So far Toyota has recalled 8 million vehicles around the world after the acceleration problem surfaced.

Selna didn’t make any decisions Thursday. On Wednesday, the judge surprised lawyers when he issued an order saying that he planned to the number of lawyers in key roles, according to The Journal.

The judge set the next hearings for May 28 and June 25. 

  

 

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
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Judge Sets May 13 Hearing On Federal Toyota Lawsuits

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Posted on 16th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Uncategorized

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The judge who is presiding over the nearly 100 federal lawsuits against Toyota, which are being consolidated, has set a May 13 hearing on the case, according to The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304628704575186230332752408.html?mod=WSJ_auto_IndustryCollection

Federal Judge James Selna scheduled the initial hearing in the matter for his courtroom in Santa Ana, Calif. Dozens of attorneys for plaintiffs in the suits are expected to be in court for that session.

Some of the suits stem from deaths and injuries allegedly caused by the sudden acceleration of Toyota vehicles, while others seek compensation for the loss of value of their Toyotas because of the acceleration problems.

At this point, Selena has opted to consolidate the wrongful death and injury suits with the consumer suits, according to The Journal.

Lawyers are eagerly waiting to see who Selna will choose to lead the arguments in the cases against Toyota. The Journal estimated that anywhere from $200 million to $500 million in attorneys’ fees will be generated by the cases, and that only a few lawyers – the lead lawyers – will share in that money.

For the period leading up to the first hearing, Selna has picked three lawyers as temporary leads: Elizabeth Cabraser of San Francisco; Steve Berman of Seattle; and Marc Seltzer of Los Angeles.

The lead lawyer for Toyota is Cari Dawson.

Also this week, Toyota suspended sales of its 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV in both the Unites States and other countries after Consumer Reports magazine deemed the vehicle unsafe.  

Toyota said it would also do safety tests not only the GX 460, but all of its SUVs. And the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said it would run its own safety tests of the GX 460.   http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304510004575185983714141448.html?mod=WSJ_auto_IndustryCollection

 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/business/16toyota.html?ref=business

 

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

Federal Toyota Suits Consolidated Before California Judge

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Posted on 10th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Uncategorized

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 The litigation against Toyota over its sudden-acceleration problem took another step forward Friday, with more than 150 federal suits being consolidated before one federal judge in Santa Ana, Calif. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-lawsuits10-2010apr10,0,6050180.story

 So even as federal safety officials are investigating and fining Toyota over the acceleration issue and the auto maker’s handling of the matter, the lawsuits against Toyota will proceed before federal Judge James Selna.

 Selna’s Santa Anna, Calif., courtroom will become the center for determining personal damages in the pending suits.  Santa Anna is only about 30 miles from Toyota’s U.S. headquarters.

 On Friday the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation decided to give allow 100 suits that are seeking class action status, along with 50 personal injury cases, to be litigated before one judge, Selna, The Los Angeles Times reported.

 “Centralization will create convenience for the parties and witnesses and will promote the more just and efficient conduct of this litigation,” the chairman of the federal panel, Judge John Heyburn II, wrote in an order Friday.

 But this only applies to federal lawsuits pending against Toyota, which has recalled more than 8 million vehicles due to the sudden acceleration problem. Numerous suits have also been filed in state courts across the nation.

 Last month dozens of attorneys presented arguments about whether the many lawsuits should be consolidated or handled individually.

 Judge Selna’s resume includes presiding over complex corporate, and he’ll his hands full in the dozens of Toyota lawsuits, according to The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304222504575174180229421268.html?mod=WSJ_business_whatsNews

For example, he adjudicated a patent infringement case between Quaalcom and Broadcom, finding that Quaalcom had violated a court order by marketing computer chips that used Broadcom patented technology – without paying the royalties due.

Judge Selna plans to pick a committee of plaintiffs’ attorneys to be lead counsel on the consolidated cases, with more than 100 lawyers jockeying for those spots, The Journal reported.  

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