Toyota Plaintiffs' Lawyers Appointed

LOS ANGELES - A federal judge on Friday drew upon a group of experienced attorneys who have handled some of the largest product liability cases in the U.S. to represent hundreds of consumers suing Toyota over unintended acceleration problems with its vehicles, the Associated Press reported. U.S. District Judge James Selna appointed four attorneys to be lead counsel for two committees that deal primarily with the biggest issues facing Toyota -- wrongful death claims, and claims filed by those who believe their cars have lost value because the Japanese automaker has recalled about 8 million vehicles. More than 320 lawsuits have been filed in federal and state court against the Japanese automaker after it began its recall because of acceleration problems in several models and brake glitches with the Prius hybrid. Toyota blamed faulty floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals for the unintended acceleration. Some plaintiffs also claim that there is a defect with Toyota's electronic throttle control system, but Toyota denies that. Among those who were selected Friday are Steve Berman of Seattle, whose firm last month earned a $200 million settlement against Charles Schwab over claims that investors were misled about the safety of mortgage-backed securities. The deal still must be approved by a judge. Berman who will head up the economic loss panel, along with Los Angeles-based attorney Marc Seltzer, said he expects a vigorous battle from the Japanese automaker.