Not So Fast, Toyota

It kind of seems like a distant memory now, but it wasn’t so long ago that sports-utility vehicles were everywhere. Since gas prices have gone up, many have traded in their SUVs for more gas-friendly, economical, and, let’s be honest, safer cars.

One of the problems with SUVs was their propensity to roll over. Many a lawsuit was faced by SUV manufacturers, including leading auto manufacturer Toyota Motor Corp., regarding the dangers of SUV rollovers. Now a former Toyota attorney has filed a lawsuit against Toyota, claiming the company withheld relevant evidence and documents from plaintiffs. The attorney worked for Toyota from 2003 to 2008 in electronic record management before quitting, allegedly because he could not deal with the stress of Toyota’s document coverup. The hidden documents, the plaintiff claims, would have affected some 300 rollover lawsuits.

Toyota must now not only deal with this particular lawsuit but may also be forced to revisit rollover cases it previously won or settled. For more information, go here.

This was posted on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 and is filed in the Legal, Public Safety categories.