Toyota has won an unintended acceleration case in Superior Court in Los Angeles, as a jury in the first bellwether trial in the Judicial Council Coordinated Proceeding (JCCP) rejected claims that a 2006 Camry involved in a fatal accident in 2009 was defective because it lacked a brake override system.
After deliberating for approximately four and a half days, a jury reached a defence verdict in favour of Toyota in a case brought by the family of Noriko Uno who claimed that her accident would have been averted if her vehicle had been outfitted with brake override. The Uno case was selected as a bellwether by the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the JCCP.
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Toyota said in a statement: “We sympathise with anyone in an accident involving one of our vehicles as well as the family and friends of Noriko Uno.
“Regarding the verdict, we are gratified that the jury concluded the design of the 2006 Camry did not contribute to this unfortunate accident, affirming the same conclusion we reached after more than three years of careful investigation – that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle at issue in this case. As an important bellwether in these consolidated state proceedings, we believe this verdict sets a significant benchmark by helping further confirm that Toyota vehicles are safe with or without brake override.”
