Toyota Lawsuits Consolidated
April 12, 2010
A panel of federal judges announced on Friday that sudden acceleration cases will be consolidated in the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Santa Ana, California. Judge James V. Selna will preside over the lawsuits, which will be combined as In Re: Toyota Motor Corp. Unintended Acceleration Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2151, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Santa Ana).
The decision impacts at least 177 consumer and shareholder lawsuits seeking class-action status and at least 57 individual suits claiming personal injuries or deaths caused by sudden acceleration incidents.
The consumer lawsuits seek damages for Toyota owners whose vehicles have lost value since the company initiated recalls in September 2009. The shareholder lawsuits allege that the company hid damaging information from investors, fraudulently inflating the company’s share price.
