[Perfectlap]

^ Before punitive damages? Yikes.. reading that link they would have gotten hammered in punitive damages hearing. It is rife with protocols that weren't followed, quality control that was never done, all intentionally. One famous trial lawyer in Atlanta, Jim Butler, managed to win two $100 million verdicts against separate auto companies. I think he wheeled in one severely burned victim in front of the jury on a wheel chair.
That particular trial lawyer in another infamous trial managed to have the Supreme Court uphold a $700 million verdict (punitive plus interest) and this was over some very shady business dealing between a private equity fund and one of its corporate partners... the biggest award paid in full by defendant ever. The rationale was that a defendant with assets in the billions had to be pay punitive damages at a level that would deter them them from intentional monkey business. And no one actually died in that case... Very wise for Toyota to settle here.

Question is.... have all those cars been fixed since that death? I'd be taking those exit ramps real slow if I'm driving a Toyota.