The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

A former lawyer for Toyota has filed a lawsuit alleging that the automaker engaged in a conspiracy to obstruct justice by withholding documents sought by plaintiffs' lawyers in hundreds of product liability lawsuits. The lawsuits alleged that Toyota cars were defective in roof strength and led to numerous deaths and serious injuries in rollover accidents in the US from 2003 to 2007.This revelation comes just days after Toyota recalled nearly 100,000 vehicles for potentially defective brakes.

The lawyer claims that when he worked at Toyota the company systematically withheld--and in some cases even destroyed--information that should have been turned over to plaintiffs' lawyers. This information included the existence of a rollover test requiring about two inches of space between the roof and the head of a dummy after the test.

In response, Toyota has alleged that the lawyer is a disgruntled employee with a vendetta who is violating his confidentiality agreement. It says it has not addressed the material in the filing, claiming it has not had time to review them.

Following the filing, though, lawyers for several plaintiffs have begun petitioning courts to reopen product liability cases that Toyota has won or settled. According to one lawyer, the concealing of evidence "would cause every case ever resolved by Toyota in the past 10 years to be re-opened."

If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a crash where you believe a defective automobile should have given better protection, you deserve compensation and those responsible need to know the injury their negligence or misconduct has caused. The nationwide network of The Cochran Firm has the ability to stand up to any opponents, including the world's largest automaker. Please schedule a consultation with one of our personal injury lawyers today.

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