California County Jury Finds for Toyota in $25M Lawsuit

September 16, 2013

A jury has ruled against a California man whose family sued Toyota for $25 million, claiming he suffered brain injuries when his car seat collapsed.

The Bakersfield Californian says a jury in Kern County found Thursday in favor of the car company and awarded nothing to the family of Thomas Gutcher.

The 55-year-old Bakersfield man was on Highway 99 in 2008 when he stopped because a tractor plowing a field threw blinding dust across the roadway. Another car rear-ended his 1999 Camry.

Toyota Motor Corporation spokeswoman Carly Schaffner says the firm is gratified that jurors found the accident wasn’t the result of a design defect.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Matthew Faulkner says the family’s lawyers still think the seats are dangerous but they haven’t decided their next move.