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Class-action lawsuits could cost Toyota $3 bil-plus

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kyoken

from previous post, that's what American TV has taught me. I can't speak to its accuracy ;)

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kyoken

From my understanding the USA has criminal and civil court. The burden of proof in civil court is less than criminal. Thus if you can prove that your product killed someone that is wrongful death, but not criminal because it is in civil court. Americans love to sue. But it's also why their companies have to keep their heads up.... or hire a ton of lawyers like GM probably does.

perhaps some Americans could be more specific. Anyway this is only the beginning of court cases.

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"So I can see that Toyota's lawyers will be busy for the rest of their lives..."

I agree, and the negative headlines will also be dragged on for the rest of "our" lives... If that is the way Toyota chooses to settle this mess, so be it.

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You can not sue Toyota on the basis that these bad news make your toyota vehicle value go down, or make you too afraid to drive one.

You can try. I read somewhere these days that the class action suit against Audi due to loss of value after the Audi 5000 witch hunting in the 80s is still ongoing. So I can see that Toyota's lawyers will be busy for the rest of their lives...

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more than 50 American citizens have been killed in these Toyota

Allegedly. Hasn't been proven in court yet.

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tclh- "You can not sue Toyota on the basis that these bad news make your toyota vehicle value go down,"

You can if Toyota is found guilty of fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation ! Your analogy with property values is completely flawed- If a real estate agent sells you a house or property under false pretenses, you can sue their socks off !

MrUSA, nice try; "Yes, some people have been injured, and they should take Toyota to court to let the court decide if Toyota is in fact at fault."

Injured ? What about those that have been killed ? Many of your posts continue to misrepresent the fact that more than 50 American citizens have been killed in these Toyotas, with thousands of complaints world-wide way before any fatalities ! Toyota flat out ignored the problems, hid then from government officials in the US, and continued to mass produce these death traps. Talk about "taking advantage" !

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You can not sue Toyota on the basis that these bad news make your toyota vehicle value go down, or make you too afraid to drive one. Because citizen can not sue government for economic policy that makes his/her property value go down...or make him/her too scare to buy real estate again.

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misguided posters

No need to insult other posters personally. If your argument is logical, then it will speak for itself.

These lawsuits are simply people jumping on a bandwagon to grab some cash. Yes, some people have been injured, and they should take Toyota to court to let the court decide if Toyota is in fact at fault. But the rest of these people are taking advantage of others who have died, just to make some money off of their car that has zero problems.

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"Forget Liberty, this is the land of litigation!"

And public safety laws with teeth- which is what Toyota is about to find out ! I see a few of you misguided posters focusing your attention on lawyers and the US legal system. Make no mistake, America is nothing like Japan- where public safety issues are tossed under a haggered old mat with no justice or concern for the consumers. I could just flood this page with one example after another of Japanese citizens being killed or seriously injured with nothing more than a handful of coin and a public apology coming their way. No concern for the families, who must no drudge on without a loved one. No concern for the general public as faulty wirings lead to city wide fires. Nope, this is the USA- and if you or your defective products kill or maim, well be prepared to suffer the consequences ! I for one believe the lawsuits will exceed well over 3 billion- we are just at the tip of the iceberg as more and more defects are being discovered. More and more facts are showing that many more than 34 have been killed- as was the original clam. And more and more disasters will occur as Toyota continues to produce these defective autos without knowing what is really causing the unintended accelerations and braking problems- they simply don't know ! In the meantime many other nations out there should be thankful that the US does have such stringent public safety awareness programs- there's no telling how many lives will be saved as a result of these lawsuits. In short- You're welcome !

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Forget Liberty, this is the land of litigation!

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If I were Toyota, I would pull out of the US and concentrate on Asia, where such ridiculous law suits do not happen.

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Those estimates do not include potential payouts for wrongful death and injury lawsuits

What exactly are wrongful death lawsuits?

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Is it the media that are out to bring Toyota down and gloat at their sensation reporting?

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They are far from done. This is just the media playing games. I doubt anyone will win anything near what they are suggesting.

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It'd be funny if all the Japanese car makers pulled out of the US and then Americans had to drive American made cars

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The risk price associated with doing business in the US.

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Toyota is done, stick a fork in them. Americans are looking for a hungry lawyer that will eat the case.

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That's odd, because you see pretty much every major company does business in the US and they all understand the legal system. Toyota has done spectacularly well in the US. I can't see any excuses working here...

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It is frightening indeed. After this who could be brave enough to do manufacturing business in US? The profit you accumulate for years through hard work could be easily wiped out by lawyers and lawsuits!

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sfjp330 -- whether or not the U.S needs liability tort reform is not the issue, and is simply a red herring. The laws are what they are, and it was Toyota management's job to understand them and manage their business accordingly. I mean, hell, the U.S. only contributes about 30% of their annual profits. So no real need to know the potential risk/cost of doing business there, right?

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Toyota stock anyone?

Now let's watch Toyota Japan write off Toyota USA and then turn a blind eye when Toyota USA doesn't have enough money to pay off its newly acquired debt.

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The problem of product liability from man made products has its roots in the broader question of the need for law reform in U.S. The need for uniform standard of liability, along with a reasonable set of rules under which liability actions can be brought. U.S. law needs to curb the current abuses of liability law. These abuses are threatening the very foundations of the U.S. economic system. The reform would inject a long overdue dose of common sense into a legal process that is currently out of control.

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today (or yesterday - who knows in this fast-moving world with so many time zones?) Toyota stated that the reason for some of the new complaints about sudden acceleration with cars which got their gas pedals fixed had been due to bad repairs. Whether that statement was just intended as an excuse or whether it is actually true, it couldn't come worse. It seems the Toyota case will go down in history as the primary example what can go wrong in crisis management and corporate communications.

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Another example of the weakness inherent in having your management isolated in a little protective bubble in Toyota City. They simply do not yet understand the U.S. culture or legal/political system, even though they've done business there for decades. Going to be a costly lesson.

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Welcome to America, land of lawyers and lawsuits!

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Class-action lawsuits could cost Toyota US$3 bil-plus reputation overseas !

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