Toyota is recalling approximately 50,000 2003 Sequoias to repair traction controls that can suddenly activate and slow down the sport utility vehicles. The auto defect involves problems with the sensors that are used by the SUV’s electronic controls, which is a key issue under dispute in the automaker’s sudden unintended acceleration cases. It was just [...]
Sen. Levin Knows a Shi**y Deal When He Sees One
April 30, 2010
In an April 28, 2010 Senate subcommittee hearing, Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) grilled Daniel Sparks, former head of Goldman Sachs mortgage department, about an email that Sparks received from Thomas Montag, Goldman’s former head of sales and trading. In the June 22, 2007 email, Montag made reference to a series of mortgage-backed investments Goldman was [...]
More Graco and Simplicity Cribs Recalled Following Child Injuries and One Infant Death
April 29, 2010
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced two major crib recalls today over concerns that the infant sleepers can cause serious injuries to children. To our child injury law firm, the latest recalls are yet another reminder that there are crib manufacturers that continue to place children’s safety at risk with their poorly designed and manufactured [...]
Yet Another Colorado-Based Ponzi Scheme
April 29, 2010
We all know by now what a Ponzi scheme is. Some sharp hedge fund manager or other investment guru sells fund shares, usually to close friends and relatives, and friends and acquaintances of each, promising a higher rate of return than could reasonably be earned in a legitimate investment. Typically, the fund doesn’t generate earnings [...]
What is electronic throttle control? What’s under the hood? What is needed?
April 22, 2010
So what is this electronic throttle control system that people suspect is causing Toyotas to take off when nobody is stepping on the gas? I’ve seen a lot of technical and confusing drawings, but it really just comes down to this. It used to be that when you stepped on the gas pedal, it was [...]
Here’s the Problem, Simply Stated
April 20, 2010
As explained in the Safety Research & Strategies detailed report on Toyota’s speed control problem, past government investigations closed without reaching a conclusion because Toyota convinced the government to narrowly define the problem it was researching, thus excluding many incidents. If you saw the congressional hearings on the issue you saw congressmen, regulators, and company [...]
SUV Rollover Risk Prompts Toyota to Recall 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUVs
April 19, 2010
Toyota says it will recall about 9,400 2010 Lexus GX 460. The recall follows the recent finding by Consumer Reports that the vehicle poses a rollover risk. As our automotive products liability lawyers reported in our Product Liability Law Blog last week, the safety hazard came to public attention when the popular magazine, after testing [...]
Goldman Sachs Faces Civil Fraud Charges
April 19, 2010
Here we go again. Another Wall Street giant has been accused of defrauding its investors. Goldman Sachs & Co., a global investment banking and management firm, allegedly failed to disclose conflicts of interest in mortgage investments it sold during the failing housing market. Fabrice Tourre, a Goldman Sachs vice president, has also been charged by [...]
Strangulation, Choking, and Fall Hazards Prompt Recall of Baby Walkers, Clothing, and Books
April 17, 2010
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled a number of products this month because of the injuries to children that they may pose. Although recalls are a proactive step toward preventing personal injuries and wrongful deaths, it is not acceptable to expose children and babies to hazards because a manufacturer made a product that was [...]
Manufacturing Doubt on Toyota Unintended Acceleration
April 16, 2010
I’ve been reading an interesting book, Doubt is Their Product – How Industry’s Assault on Science Threatens Your Health (Oxford University Press 2008). It is about the for-profit science companies that develop the “science” to defend their clients against claims that their products are unsafe, such as cigarettes and medicines that increase the incidence of [...]
