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 Thursday's order from U.S. District Judge James Selna in California
federal court put a halt to the lawsuits while lawyers for Toyota
and the plaintiffs try to resolve the cases. A similar process will
be established for cases in California state court, Toyota said.
Toyota is facing hundreds of lawsuits over acceleration issues,
which prompted the Japanese automaker to recall millions of vehicles
starting in 2009.
The settlement process, which is open to all plaintiffs, is slated
to begin in February, according to the order. It will apply to
personal injury, wrongful death and property damage lawsuits arising
from the alleged acceleration issues.
Cases that do not settle during the initial process will proceed to
formal mediation and, if not resolved, will go to trial, the order
said.
A spokeswoman for Toyota, Carly Schaffner, said the company stood
behind the safety and quality of its vehicles.
"In our view, the process will bring greater efficiency to the
resolution of pending cases and provide a clear path forward for
those claims that cannot be resolved outside of trial," she said in
an emailed statement.
Elizabeth Cabraser, a lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, called the
order "an encouraging step, and at an appropriate time in the
litigation."
Toyota has been hit with more than 200 proposed class action and 500
individual lawsuits alleging personal injuries or property damage
caused by the alleged acceleration problems, according to a
regulatory filing from the company.
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A handful of cases have gone to trial so far. The first federal
trial in Brooklyn ended in a win for Toyota in 2011. The second, in
California state court, resulted in jurors absolving Toyota of
liability for a crash that killed the vehicle's driver.
The latest trial, in Oklahoma, settled in October on confidential
terms after a jury returned an initial verdict ordering Toyota to
pay $3 million to plaintiffs.
In July, Selna gave final approval to a settlement valued at more
than $1.6 billion to resolve economic-loss claims, such as reduced
resale value, resulting from the alleged safety defects.
The federal case is In re: Toyota Motor Corp Unintended Acceleration
Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, U.S.
District Court for the Central District of California, No. 10-2151.
(Reporting by Jessica Dye in New York;
editing by Noeleen Walder and Leslie Gevirtz)
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