The future hangs in the balance for more than 100 lawsuits filed against Toyota Motor Corp. over claims associated with unintended acceleration following a hearing on Monday in the multidistrict litigation.
U.S. District Judge James Selna in Santa Ana, Calif. questioned how to handle the suits, which assert claims that aren’t part of the first consolidated complaint for economic damages, filed on Aug. 2. In that complaint, the plaintiffs’ steering committee claims that Toyota knowingly hid defects associated with unintended acceleration beginning in 2002 while falsely assuring consumers about the safety of its vehicles.
