Toyota Lawsuit Settlement 2013: Car Company Slapped With $3 Million Fine After Faulty Car Causes Accident
Acceleration issues with Toyota cars have translated into a jury verdict and lawsuit that is costing the automobile company $3 million.
The Oklahoma City jury awarded $1.5 million each of the survivors of a car crash as well as the family of a woman who was killed by the car's faulty acceleration.
This was the first time Toyota lost in court in a case stemming from the acceleration issues it has faced.
In a statement released this week, Toyota remained firm in its stance that the company should not be the ones to blame in this situation.
"While we strongly disagree with the verdict, we are satisfied that the parties reached a mutually acceptable agreement to settle this case," Toyota said in a statement. "We will continue to defend our products vigorously at trial in other legal venues."
The jury found that Toyota was liable of "reckless disregard" for the public's safety. Plantiff attorney Cole Portis was satisfied with the verdict and called on Toyota to make some major changes in their operation to avoid similar accidents in the future.
"We are fully convinced that Toyota's conduct from the time the electronic throttle control system (ETCS) was designed has been shameful" said Portis. "We appreciate that the jury had the courage to let Toyota and the public know that Toyota was reckless. Hopefully, Toyota will recall all of their questionable vehicles and install a computer that will be safe."
The faulty vehicle in the accident was a 2005 Camry and the driver said the car started to accelerate without notice. She tried to use the brake to no avail and finally tried to use the emergency brake.
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