Consumers looking to file a lawsuit against Takata over its defective airbags may be waiting a little while longer to do so.
Bloomberg reports U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King issued a stay on a proposed class action filed in Miami, where a panel of federal judges will decide after January 29, 2015 whether said case will be combined with over 50 others, and who will be the judge to preside over them.
As for where, the defendants — Honda and the other automakers with ties to Takata — want Pittsburgh, Penn. — where they and two Takata subsidiaries have facilities — as the venue for the multi-district litigation proceedings, while the plaintiffs want Miami, Detroit, New Orleans, Houston or Los Angeles.
The cases against Takata and its clients were filed by consumers seeking damages for lost vehicle value as a result of the plaintiffs’ vehicles being equipped with the supplier’s airbags, which are linked to a number of fatalities and injuries due to catastrophic failure upon deployment. Nine others were filed in order to claim damages related to said fatalities and injuries, some of which could be combined for evidence-gathering prior to the panel.
Every company operating in the US, really need to specialize to the point where all they make is one item, then go out of business. Leaving an ongoing concern with any value whatsoever in this lawyer infested swamp, is simply asking to get robbed.
So instead of Honda, we should have “The Green 2015 Honda Fit With Black Cloth Interior And A CVT Transmission Company”, buying airbags from “The Takata Model 874744.aft.7444 Company.” Etc., etc. While the grownups relocate to Singapore or something.
Yep, I’ve savagely kicked myself for not choosing law school, too.