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Calif. lawsuit claims Toyota hid defect evidence

Reuters -- Southern California prosecutors filed the first U.S. consumer protection lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corp on Friday, claiming it had engaged in "fraud" by hiding evidence of dangerous vehicle defects.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said his office along with private attorneys sued the U.S. sales arm of Toyota, charging that the world's top-selling automaker has endangered the public with defective vehicles, and engaged in deceptive business practices.

"Against this backdrop of fraud and concealment, Toyota has for decades touted its reputation for safety and reliability and knew that people bought its vehicles because of that reputation and yet purposefully chose to conceal and suppress the existence and nature of defects," said the 18-page lawsuit filed on Friday.


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Submitted Mar 12, 2010 By: Mudsprings
Category: Daily News Article Discussions > Topics Add to favorite topics  
Author Topic: Calif. lawsuit claims Toyota hid defect evidence Post a Reply Back to Topics
REPLIES (newest first)
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CruisinLinda
Champion Author Tallahassee

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Points:1,621,420
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Message Posted: Mar 13, 2010 3:52:05 AM

If plaintiffs can prove their allegations, they are entitled now to collect damages. In fact, Toyota cannot hide complaints if they are filed with government agencies like NHTSA. Toyota doesn't know how the fix or the cause of unintended acceleration now. How could it have had the answer years ago?
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Amplion
Champion Author Oregon

Posts:4,237
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Message Posted: Mar 13, 2010 3:02:07 AM

All auto manufacturers should be expected to build safe product.
Anyone guilty of a cover up should be thrown in jail with the manufacturer fined and/or shut down.
All unsafe product should be towed to an impound yard until safety can be assured.
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Amtrgas
Champion Author Oakland

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 11:43:56 PM

What action has been taken against the US Automakers, that have had recalls because of deadly accidents. I do not remember ever hearing of lawsuits being filed. I believed that Toyota is getting a worst rap then they deserve.
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lgwhitlock
Champion Author Chico

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 7:53:38 PM

I am sure there will be plenty of conspiracy theories about Toyota and many lawsuits to follow. However bringing an allegation and proving it are two different things. It will be interesting to see how all this turns out...
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signwiz
Champion Author Indiana

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 7:42:02 PM

If this site is going to track all of Toyota lawsuits that will be filed in the coming months, they're going to need to add more servers.
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BazooQC
Champion Author Montreal

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 7:29:12 PM

Not sure I really understand this claim.
You would think that if Toyota was covering up a problem, they would at least try to fix it too.
People claim this issue has been around for 5 years. So if there was a design flaw in an electronic accelerator pedal, why wasn't it addressed?
Because they didn't actually confirm any problem perhaps. It's called suspicions, not necessarily fraud.
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Z51Corvette
Champion Author Austin

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 7:16:46 PM

And it took how long to file this claim!!!
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Amplion
Champion Author Oregon

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 7:14:18 PM

Are the Toyota drivers scamming Toyota or is Toyota Scamming the drivers? Who knows ?

BMW is a safer automobile.
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04tang
Champion Author Ohio

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 7:12:54 PM

Toyota caused there own problems. Now they have to pay for it.
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knot2swift
Champion Author Calgary

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:59:09 PM

What happened to all the great coverage a few months ago of N1H1?

I guess no one figured out a way to sue Mother Nature.
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rsm315
Champion Author Detroit

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:58:26 PM

We all know that they knew about this for a long time
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CarrottopNe
Champion Author Lincoln

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:53:00 PM

More bad news for Toyota.
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FBI2991
Champion Author Michigan

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:52:52 PM

Not good for Toyota
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brus282
Champion Author North Carolina

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:51:47 PM

and this is a surprise? of course they hid the facts
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ThatHunt
Champion Author Dallas

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:46:53 PM

Media hype.
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MidNJ
Champion Author New Jersey

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:46:18 PM

The article before this describes the media frenzy about Toyota and about how someone may have played a hoax.

In a few weeks the frenzy will be over and we will move on to another story that places fear in our minds and hearts.
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Night Owl
Champion Author Toronto

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:46:13 PM

Of course Toyota hid their defect evidence. Their former lawyer wanted to go public with the documents, but Toyota wouldn't let him.
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WilW
Champion Author Atlanta

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:45:31 PM

Most people just don't know how to operate a motor vehicle.
A drivers license is a privilege, not a right!
Let's enact more stringent testing to get a license.
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jscdig
Champion Author Maine

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:37:26 PM

I'm surprised someone hasn't proposed banning the manufacture, sale and use of all Toyota products until this acceleration issue is resolved.
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Ken2OD
Champion Author Grand Rapids

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:36:44 PM

Pile it on!
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Skychief
Veteran Author Florida

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:36:42 PM

I read that the Japanese workers union reported problems in 2006 and were ignored.
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96sc1
Champion Author El Paso

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:34:34 PM

I believe it.
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lembs
All-Star Author San Francisco

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:30:49 PM

this sounds bad for toyota
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DrivingFool2
Champion Author Appleton

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:28:57 PM

And here I had just bought my first Toyota this past year. (2010 Prius)
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swrestler
Champion Author Grand Rapids

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:28:39 PM

I feel bad for them they got problems......
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SpaceAce5
Veteran Author South Dakota

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:28:30 PM

on the way to putting toyota out of business
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humblepie
Champion Author Toledo

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:26:01 PM

between toyota bashing, big oil bashing and
the fawning over this dufus administration
the media is giving me the blues
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hauler43
Champion Author Oakland

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:22:55 PM

I hope the US Govt. and others didn't know, cause if so a lot of heads could roll. It could do a lot of damage to the auto industry as a whole.
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Rednix
Champion Author Miami

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:16:41 PM

I think these lawsuits could possibly cause Toyota to go bankrupt. But as we see GM and Chrysler emerging it won't kill them.
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divebomber
Champion Author Nebraska

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:16:02 PM

Toyota is the company you would be proud to own and will be villified in the end. Don't blow this out of shape!
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Daveyfudd
All-Star Author Jackson

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:15:37 PM

When it rains the bad news pours!
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pliskin
Champion Author Syracuse

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:11:40 PM

Toyota is going to get buried in all of this especially by the time the lawsuits are done.
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YLHandyman
Champion Author Orange County

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:11:28 PM

Sure didn't see this coming. Always thought Toyota was better than this.
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madison8359
Champion Author Cleveland

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:09:59 PM

This is going to be fun listening to Toyota's defense.

I guess they could always say they are sorry.
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goodbuy
Champion Author Michigan

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:03:54 PM

Guess Toyota isn't the company y'all thought.
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nightworker998
Champion Author Maryland

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 6:01:53 PM

It is a witch hunt how many cars have been recalled by the 3 American auto makers in the last 5 years and how many of those recalls did congress investigate or the states prosecute?
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Pete12
Champion Author Albany

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:55:29 PM

It couldn't happen to a nicer foreign car company. Buy American not foreign built in America.
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SSchmidty
Champion Author Illinois

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:51:28 PM

The truth can not be buried under lies for long ... boy, this become REAL rea-faced embrassing!
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us412
Champion Author Arkansas

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:47:47 PM

This seems to have turned into a witch hunt.
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copperhead8
Champion Author Boston

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:42:10 PM

I totally agree with cheap2010skate.
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bills55
Champion Author San Diego

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:39:39 PM

Sounds good to me.
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E-Squirrel
Champion Author Orange County

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:37:14 PM

The vultures haven't had much lately. They are licking their chops over this one...
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Romey08
Champion Author Virginia

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:31:35 PM

More lawsuits coming
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trojanbuck
Champion Author Dayton

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:30:13 PM

What took the shysters so long?
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ARROWHEAD
Veteran Author Detroit

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:28:44 PM

Wonderful, its about time!
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DancingDee
Champion Author Gary

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:25:50 PM

NOT SURPRISED!!!
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fire@53
Champion Author Philadelphia

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:24:51 PM

And you wonder why California is in trouble.
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lennypizzas
Veteran Author London

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:20:39 PM

and the lawyers get richer
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naw62
Champion Author Maine

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:19:02 PM

You would think there would be some attorney would do pro-bono
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cheap2010skate
Champion Author Tampa

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Message Posted: Mar 12, 2010 5:18:33 PM

If Toyota concealed the problems, they should pay for it. Good for the attorneys! I am biased, but I come from a family of attorneys. I do think that most of the money should go to victims and not law firms.
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