Did Toyota Hide Evidence In Product Liability Cases?

A former lawyer for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, has alleged that the car company intentionally withheld evidence of its vehicles’ structural shortcomings in hundreds of injury and death cases arising from rollovers. Toyota counters that the former employ has an ax to grind, since he was fired for alleged misconduct on the job.

The information arises from a lawsuit filed by the former employee, attorney Dimitrios Biller, who claims that his complaints about the withholding of evidence cost him his job. The lawsuit must contain some damaging information as Toyota has brought a motion to seal the complaint, claim it contains confidential information.

Biller worked for Toyota from 2003 to 2007, and helped the car company defend rollover lawsuits that blamed the company for design defects involving instability and weak roofs. Most of the cases involve serious personal injuries or death. His complaint claims that Toyota refused to produce emails and other electronic data, which is required by the rules of discovery. Biller complained to his superiors, and alleges those complaints led to a “forced” resignation.

Here’s the most interesting part: Biller was given a $3.7 million severance package. $3.7 million? That’s quite a severance package for an in-house lawyer.

Source: CBS News

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