Toyota Motor Corp. has asked a federal court to throw out hundreds of sudden
acceleration lawsuits. The safety issue, as you will recall from our previous
blog posts on recent Toyota safety issues, involves vehicles suddenly
accelerating to extremely high speeds while leaving a driver unable to
slow down or stop the vehicle. The products liability lawsuits that the
automaker is seeking to dismiss have been consolidated under one judge.
Toyota claims that not only has the automaker yet to recall any Toyota
vehicles over electronic controls-related defects, but also, nearly all
the plaintiffs who are attempting to file a class action complaint for
the all Toyota owners of vehicles with electronic engine control systems
have not identified any auto defect related to these controls. Also, because
the plaintiffs of these civil lawsuits were never injured in a sudden
unintended acceleration accident, nor did they lose a loved one in this
type of crash, the automaker contends that the plaintiffs have no credible
wrongful death or personal injury claims.
In other recent Toyota sudden unintended acceleration news, the vehicular
manslaughter charge against a 62-year-old female motorist has been dismissed.
Unmi Suk Chung has always maintained that the Lexus RX330 she was driving
sped up out of control when it crashed and rolled over in 2008. One of
the passengers who had been riding with her at the time, Esook Synn, died
from his injuries.
It was just a few months ago that Koua Fong Lee, another person who was
blamed for a fatal auto accident that is now being linked to Toyota sudden
unintended acceleration, was released from prison. He had been serving
an eight-year prison term for vehicular manslaughter following the motor
vehicle deaths of three people. Lee has always said that he tried stepping
on the brakes but they wouldn’t work.
The federal government says that it has received 3,000 Toyota sudden unintended
acceleration complaints. 93 fatalities are being linked to this safety
defect. In the past year, Toyota has recalled millions of cars over ill-fitting
floor mats and gas pedals that needed to be replaced following evidence
that they contributed to sudden unintended acceleration accidents. Hundreds
of plaintiffs have filed auto products liability and wrongful death lawsuits.
Toyota asks court to throw out acceleration lawsuits, USA Today, November 2, 2010
Toyota Asks Court to Dismiss Lawsuits, CBS News, November 2, 2010
Unmi Suk Chung, Washington Post, November 3, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Toyota Safety Issues, Productliabilitylawblog.com
Toyota Motor Corporation
Contact our Toyota sudden acceleration law firm to discuss your auto products liability case. The Gilbert Law Group, P.C. represents clients throughout the US.
