O.C. 'Moving Forward' With Toyota Lawsuit
It's ironic that Toyota's slogan would be "moving forward" in light of their unintended acceleration problems. Oddly so, since the "moving forward" of so many vehicles is what has caused so many fatal accidents. Now, Orange County in California has sued the automaker to stop the sale of dangerous vehicles.
"We need to make sure that when Toyota says...'Moving forward', they are talking about great cars," said Tony Rackauckas, the District Attorney of Orange County, CA, in a press conference Friday.
Rackauckas filed a lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corporation, on behalf of Orange County residents. Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Rackauckas, an elected official, stated that his office had the right to bring such a consumer protection suit on behalf of his residents.
In his suit, the Orange County DA is seeking a court order to stop the sale of vehicles with dangerous defects. The Toyota lawsuit accuses Toyota of unfair and deceptive business practices. The allegations are based on the recent events and controversy surrounding Toyota, including the unintended acceleration problems.
The Orange County Toyota lawsuit is brought under California law, specifically, the California Business and Professions Code section 17200. The suit accuses Toyota of unfair business practices, as well as fraudulent and unlawful practices. As relief, the suit seeks an injunction preventing the sale of any dangerous vehicle by Toyota, within the County. In addition to the injunctive relief, the suit seeks civil penalties of $2,500 per defendant, pursuant to the California code section.
Toyota has been at the forefront of controversy in the past few months. There have been several fatal accidents involving the unintended acceleration of Toyota vehicles. As a result, Toyota was forced to defend itself before Congress, as the automaker was placed in the hot seat during a Federal investigation into Toyota's safety practices.
Earlier in the week, there was an apparent tale of a man's Toyota Prius speeding out-of-control on a San Diego freeway, with the media and CHP conveniently in tow. San Diego is an hour south of Orange County.
Related Resources"
- Court Documents: Toyota Lawsuit (Orange County District Attorney)
- California Business and Professions Code Sec. 17200 (FindLaw Codes)
- Toyota Sued by Orange County Prosecutor Over Defects (BusinessWeek)
- Toyota Recalls and Lawsuits (FindLaw Injury Center)
- Motor Vehicle Accidents Resource Links (provided by Novak, Robenalt & Pavlik, L.L.P)
- Injuries from Defective Products (provided by Law Offices of Howard & Reed)