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Toyota Accused by Former Lawyer of Hiding Crucial Rollover Accident Evidence

Automaker Toyota is facing serious charges by one of its former attorneys, who is accusing the companies of withholding important evidence in several rollover accident cases.

The company did this to ensure that proof of structural deficiencies in its vehicles remained hidden. Those allegations are part of a federal racketeering suit filed by Dimitrios Biller, who is former counsel for Toyota Motor Sales USA. Biller claims that his attempts to reveal the company’s misconduct has resulted in him being fired from his job. Toyota attorneys have brought a motion to seal Biller’s complaint, claiming that it is full of confidential company information that Biller has no right to reveal.

The complaint runs into 75 pages. According to the complaint, Biller was shocked to see that the automaker was continually failing to produce emails and other electronic data to plaintiffs, as it was required to do. He complained to supervisors about this practice. According to the lawsuit, the automaker did not completely disclose emails and other electronic data, in spite of court orders to do so. When Biller found out that the company had failed to produce crucial design and test data, he collected this himself. However, all this information was destroyed. This was information that involved at least 300 rollover accidents.

The lawsuit also alleges that Toyota withheld vehicle roof design and test records, and that the company failed to produce documents testifying that internal standards for roof strengths were stronger than federal standards. The lawsuit alleges that because of this conflict with the company, Biller suffered a breakdown and was forced to resign in 2007.  The lawsuit names 5 senior executives and attorneys of Toyota Motor Sales, Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Sales. The lawsuit was filed on the 24^th of July in Los Angeles, but details have only now been revealed.

Toyota lawyers have been working over time to contain damage from Biller’s lawsuit. The news has predictability galvanized rollover accident lawyers. Several product liability attorneys, who have faced off with Toyota over injuries caused in rollover accidents involving its vehicles, have expressed doubt that they had access to all the information they were entitled to at the time.  Biller worked from Torrance between 2003 and 2007, working to defend Toyota in lawsuits resulting from rollover accidents. These lawsuits have blamed instability of the roofs, for serious injuries caused to occupants of Toyota’s SUVs and pickup trucks in accidents.

The controversy is obviously not a welcome one for Toyota which has had a comparatively clean reputation for the safety of the automobiles. If Biller’s charges are proved, then it’s one more automaker that has placed greed for profits over the welfare and safety of its consumers. The company has released a statement saying that Biller has disappointed them with his conduct.

Most of the injuries that occur during rollover accidents occur when the roof crushes or collapses as the vehicle overturns. These injuries are very often catastrophic injuries, like head and spinal cord injuries. California rollover accident lawyers have to wonder if Toyota is hiding far more than we currently know.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of rollover accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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