A federal judge in Santa Ana on Thursday heard from lawyers hoping to lead litigation against Toyota Motor Corp. in what could be the largest class action case ever handled in the county.
Judge James Selna made no decision on Thursday but spent hours hearing from among 100 lawyers hoping to win a handful of lead spots suing the automaker, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Selna is set to pick a committee of lawyers to lead suits against Toyota’s U.S. arm in Torrance.
A handful of lawyers are expected to be tapped for lead spots. More than a dozen other lawyers are set to serve in supporting roles.
Two local lawyers are vying for lead roles: Mark Robinson of Newport Beach’s Robinson, Calcagnie & Robinson Inc. and Wylie Aitken of Santa Ana’s Aitken Aitken Cohn.
“This is obviously going to be a very major case involving a tremendous amount of legal talent,” Aitken, founder of Aitken Aitken Cohn, told the Business Journal.
At stake is a pot of money estimated at $500 million in lawyers fees that would be split among the lead and supporting lawyers.
If Toyota were to settle the litigation even for a modest payout, it could cost the automaker $3 billion or more, according to one lawyer familiar with the litigation. Another lawyer estimated a $7 billiion price tag for Toyota.
Robinson, senior partner at Robinson, Calcagnie & Robinson, has applied to lead personal injury litigation against Toyota. He and other lawyers submitted their bids last month.
Aitken has applied to lead litigation related to the economic impact of Toyota’s recalls. Lawsuits there charge that Toyota vehicles lost value for owners and dealers after recalls.
In all, more than 300 state and federal lawsuits have been filed against Toyota since it made a series of recalls starting in the fall.
In April, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation—a panel of judges that centralizes related lawsuits—tapped Judge Selna to oversee about 75 federal suits from around the country over unintended acceleration issues in some Toyotas.
The consolidated cases are set to be tried in Santa Ana in what could be one of the largest legal matters to end up at the local courthouse, according to those in the industry.
“It’s definitely up there in the Super Bowl of class action cases,” Aitken said. “It’s quite possibly the largest the county has ever experienced.”
The litigation is expected to have some economic impact as dozens of lawyers and support staff come to the county for meetings, hearings and trials.
The county already has seen some business from the pending litigation.
On Wednesday, lawyers gathered at the Westin South Coast Plaza preparing for Thursday’s hearing.
Last month, Robinson and Aitken hosted a roundtable for lawyers where about 50 competing attorneys met at The Island Hotel Newport Beach.
