NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Labaton Sucharow LLP and Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP have filed a nationwide consumer class action against manufacturers of cars that use keyless fob ignition systems, including Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Volkswagen, among others.
Keyless fobs replace traditional keys in many modern vehicles, but unlike physical keys, do not turn the engine off. In the past few years there have been at least 13 deaths and many serious injuries from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by the cars at issue. The complaint alleges that when drivers leave these cars with the engine left silently running—a common occurrence—there is no automatic shut off to protect drivers and their families. The plaintiffs claim that this convenience feature, often a pricey add-on, was made without the institution of adequate safeguards, and automakers have misrepresented those vehicles as being safe.
Led by Martis Alex, Chair of Labaton Sucharow’s Consumer Protection Litigation Practice, and Steve W. Berman, Hagens Berman’s Managing Partner, the plaintiffs seek injunctive relief to eliminate the safety hazard, as well as the recovery of drivers’ economic losses.
“We are bringing the suit to force the auto manufacturers to fix this defect and protect drivers from the very real and immediate threat of serious injury, or even death,” said Martis Alex.
“What is shocking is that many of the automakers have filed patents for new technology designed to fix the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, but they aren’t fixing their cars on the road,” commented Steve Berman.
The complaint was filed in the United States District Court, Central District of California.
About Labaton Sucharow
Labaton Sucharow LLP prosecutes precedent-setting class actions, recovering billions of dollars on behalf of defrauded consumers and investors. The firm offers complex litigation services in the areas of consumer protection, securities, antitrust, and corporate governance and shareholder rights law, as well as whistleblower representation. Labaton Sucharow’s successful reputation is built not only on its team of nearly 60 attorneys, but also on its industry-leading in-house investigators, financial analysts, and forensic accountants. Offices are located in New York, NY and Wilmington, DE. For more information, follow us @LabatonSucharow or visit www.labaton.com.
About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a consumer-rights class-action law firm with offices in nine cities. The firm has been named to The National Law Journal’s Plaintiffs’ Hot List seven times. The firm served as co-lead counsel in the Toyota unintended acceleration case that resulted in a settlement valued at $1.6 billion and is co-lead counsel in the GM ignition switch defect case. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.