1620 5th AvenueA California judge set the date for the product liability trials against Toyota Motor Corp. The three trials will take place in 2013 in a Santa Ana federal court.
The defendants claim the Toyota vehicles had sudden acceleration issues, which lead to a Utah car accident that killed two people in 2010. The court dismissed the initial claim based on jurisdiction of federal courts, but the victims’ families refiled the case.
Toyota owners in other states filed other class action cases, claiming that Toyota lessened the vehicles’ resale value by failing to make the consumers aware of product defects. U.S. District Judge James V. Selna seems hesitant to allow more than three states to participate in the class action lawsuits. Plaintiffs’ lawyers are looking to include cases from California, Florida and New York.
“I doubt I would add another state to any class action,” Judge Selna said at the hearing.
What do you think? Should these lawsuits proceed in all states, or does the judge have a right to set restrictions on the litigation?
Bonnici Law Group—San Diego wrongful death attorney.
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