Judge Rules that Consumers May Pursue Lawsuit Against Toyota, Says Hagens Berman

May 16, 2011 | View Case Page

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Federal judge has ruled that a case against Toyota (NYSE: TM) seeking damages related to claims of unintended acceleration of Toyota vehicles may move forward.

U.S. District Judge James Selna of the United States District Court for the Central District of California ruled that attorneys representing owners of Toyota vehicles demonstrated to the court that they have sufficient evidence establishing overpayment to allow the case to move forward.

According to the lawsuit, Toyota knew that vehicles could accelerate unexpectedly, but the automaker allegedly refused to install a brake-override or fail-safe system in an effort to meet its profitability and production goals.

“This matter is of critical importance to tens of millions of Toyota owners and we look forward to proving our case in court,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and co-lead council representing the economic loss class members. “We believe – and intend to prove – that Toyota was aware of a defect, and chose not to take action to protect consumers.”

“Aside from the overall victory in allowing the case to move forward, Judge Selna agreed with many of our underlying arguments in the case, including our contention that Toyota owners who did not attempt to sell their vehicle could still bring a claim because they overpaid for their vehicles, buying cars that were not worth as much as a car free of these defects,” Berman added.

Attorneys representing consumers and businesses suffering from economic losses seek to recover restitution for economic losses, and an injunction requiring that Toyota have these vehicles repaired properly.

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