The ruling, formally entered today by U.S. District Judge James Selna in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, dismisses the foreign plaintiffs’ complaint in its entirety.  Judge Selna dismissed an earlier complaint brought by the foreign plaintiffs in April 2011, but gave them the opportunity to amend and re-file their claims.

 

“We are pleased that Judge Selna has now twice ruled in Toyota’s favor on this important issue,” said Lisa Gilford, an attorney for Toyota. “His conclusions reinforce Toyota’s long-standing position that the foreign plaintiffs failed to meet any of the legal requirements necessary to bring their claims against the company in a U.S. court. 

 

Gilford continued: “Although Toyota’s U.S. entities were named as defendants, they have little connection to plaintiffs’ foreign claims, as the vast majority of the Toyota models in question are neither manufactured, designed, nor sold in the U.S.  In fact, Toyotas are manufactured in at least 26 countries worldwide, and more than 170 corporate entities sell and market Toyotas in at least 170 countries.”