Toyota Class Action Lawsuit (MDL) - Plaintiffs' Lead Counsel Decided This Week by Judge Selna

Today, May 13, 2010, a hearing began to decide which attorneys are going to be running the show for the plaintiffs in the big, big class action lawsuit that is gearing up against Toyota Motor Corporation. The court's ruling is expected on or before this Monday, May 17th.

In early April, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) already decided that U.S. District James Selna of the Central District of California would be presiding over the consolidated Toyota lawsuits, which some expect will exceed $7 billion (with a b) in damages.

Late last month, Dan Becnel Jr. of the Becnel Law Firm in Reserve, Louisiana, became the first lawyer to formally apply for the job of Top Lawyer. Actually, Becnel has asked the court to approve him as co-lead, or at least a member of the lead counsel committee.

Here in Texas, we would say that Becnel is definitely not a man with a hat and no cattle:  he's got the resume to back up that request.

However, so do the other 99 or so trial lawyers who are tossing their hats in the ring.  Pros like Mark Lanier of Vioxx fame.  Apparently, over 100 attorneys have filed formal applications with the federal court for this job -- with one application exceeding 100 pages in length.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall of that California courtroom today ....

Toyota in the Hot Seat: First it's the Gas Pedal, now it's the Brakes?

It was only Monday when all this big news was popping up regarding Congressional Committees getting involved, investigating Toyota about its "sudden acceleration" problem. 

Just this past Sunday, the New York Times wrote a great article, giving an overview of this gas pedal acceleration problem in both Toyota models as well as Lexus vehicles -- something that's been a known issue since 2002.  Known issue, as in stuck accelerators have been causing wrecks and killing people for several years now.

So, as an attorney, I was already expecting to read about new Toyota lawsuits - heck, I was ready to see the television commercials.  All about the gas pedal slamming down, think how creative those ad agencies could be ....

And then, today, whattha????

Because today, first I read that the Secretary of Transportation reported before Congress to give his testimony today, and he's said that folk should just stop driving their Toyotas until they can get their dealers to fix them. 

(Plaintiffs' lawyers smile like Cheshire Cats when they hear something like this -- and it's even better when there's video of the head of the Department of Transportation telling this to Congress.  Oh, the glee....)

But wait.  Wait. 

Now, I learn there's also some big problem with the BRAKES made by Toyota.  Apparently, the brakes in the 2010 Prius hybrid are malfunctioning, too.  Ye Gads. 

Brakes, gas pedals ... there's gotta be a lot of jokes in all this.  And so, so many lawsuits ....