California Court Trials in Toyota Sudden Acceleration Litigation to Commence in November 2012

The first bellwether trial in consolidated California state court litigation over unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles will begin November 1, 2012. As reported by Law360, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr told attorneys yesterday that he will use October to find potential jurors for the estimated 40-day trial.

"The whole hope of a bellwether is that the results ... will make it easier for all the other cases to settle," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr explained. "They'll give you an idea of what the cases are worth, how they're going to go, and then obviate the need for trial." Monday's order by Judge Mohr puts a firm start date on the first case to go to trial over allegations that Toyota hid defects that caused its cars to suddenly accelerate, leading to crashes.

Toyota faces consolidated litigation in both state court and federal court, with hundreds of plaintiffs accusing the automaker of hiding defects that caused cars, including the Camry and the Prius, to suddenly accelerate. Under Judge Mohr's schedule, the state court will jump ahead of the federal court in taking both wrongful death and unfair business practices claims to trial.

"The plaintiffs are pleased and excited that the first bellwether trial has been scheduled to begin on Nov. 1 and that the court has ordered that discovery by opened in the first three bellwether cases," stated Lieff Cabraser attorney Todd Walburg, as reported in Law360. Lieff Cabraser represents the injured driver and two passengers in one of the bellwether cases set for trial by Judge Mohr.