Toyota Paid $10 Million to Settle 4 Self Acceleration Deaths
Lots of folks heard about the state trooper in California who was killed, with family members, when his 2009 Lexus Es ran out of control, killing Saylor, his wife, brother in law and daughter. What no one heard about is the secret settlement that Toyota struck with them last fall.
Turns out that Toyota agreed to pay $10 million to settle the case brought by the families. The accident was one of the primary causes of the recall that ended up in the millions of Toyota vehicles over unintended acceleration vehicles recalled.
The settlement was to be secret but word of it leaked out just before Christmas 2010 when it was publicly reported by the LA Times newspaper. The leak is rumored to have come from the car dealership's attorney involved in the case.
As usual, part of the settlement was that Toyota did not admit that anything was wrong with the vehicle. In spite of the trooper's infamous 911 call, pleading for help - and in spite of the $10 million they paid out - and in spite of the secrecy requirement Toyota wanted - Toyota still insists that it was just the floor mats that caused the crash.
Ten million dollars because the floor mats were the cause? Yeah, right.
If you've got a lemon Toyota, be careful. And if you want to get rid of it, call us. Getting rid of lemon cars is what we do. Everyday.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Known nationwide as a leading Lemon Law attorney, Ronald L. Burdge has represented literally thousands of consumers in "lemon" lawsuits and actively co-counsels and coaches other Consumer Law attorneys. From 2005 through 2018, attorney Ronald L. Burdge has been named as the only Lemon Law Ohio Super Lawyer by Law and Politics magazine and Thomson Reuters Corp., Professional Division. Burdge restricts his practice to Lemon Law and Consumer Law cases. The Ohio Super Lawyer results are published annually in the January issue of Cincinnati Magazine. Ronald L. Burdge was named Consumer Law Trial Lawyer of the Year 2004 by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the nation's largest organization of consumer law private and government attorneys. "Your impact on the auto industry has been magnified many times over because of the trail you blazed for others," stated NACA's Executive Director, Will Ogburn. Burdge has represented thousands of consumers in Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere since 1978 and is a frequent lecturer to national, state and local Bar Associations and Judicial organizations. Burdge is admitted to Ohio's state and federal courts, Kentucky's state courts, and Indiana's federal courts. Other court admissions are on a "pro hac" temporary, case by cases basis.