MIAMI — Toyota owners claiming that massive safety recalls are causing the value of their vehicles to plummet have filed at least 89 class- action lawsuits that could cost the Japanese auto giant $3 billion or more, according to an Associated Press review of cases, legal precedent and interviews with experts.
Those estimates do not include potential payouts for wrongful-death and injury lawsuits, which could reach in the tens of millions each.
A key decision could come at a March 25 hearing in San Diego, where a panel of federal judges will consider whether to consolidate the mushrooming cases into a single jurisdiction.
After that, a judge will decide whether all claims filed by Toyota owners nationwide can be combined in a single legal action and whether the claims have enough merit to move toward either trial or settlement.
Under federal law, a class action must have 100 or more plaintiffs and damages sought must exceed $5 million. The Associated Press
