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Family Receives $10 Million Settlement From Toyota

Neon Tommy |
December 23, 2010 | 3:22 p.m. PST

2004 Toyota Prius (Photo by Larry Page)
2004 Toyota Prius (Photo by Larry Page)
A family settled a lawsuit with Toyota Motor Corp. for $10 milion in connection to a 2009 San Diego crash that killed four people.

The amount awarded in the case, which was settled in September, was released Thursday after attempts by parties involved to keep the sum private were denied by a Superior Court judge on Monday.

California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, his wife, Cleofe Lastrella, their daughter Mahala, and Lastrella's brother Chris were killed when the 2009 Lexus ES loaned to Saylor suddenly accelerated out of control before crashing.

The August 2009 crash brought national attention to Toyota, which owns Lexus, for alleged defects in its cars, leading to the recall of millions of vehicles and to a federal investigation of the company.

This week the car company agreed to pay $32.4 million to the U.S. Transportation Department for holding off on recalling vehicles and sending out notifications to consumers regarding sudden acceleration and steering issues related to its vehicles. The company shelled out another $16.4 million earlier this year for putting off the recall of sticky accelerator pedals.

Read more about the settlement from the Los Angeles Times here.



 

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