The first of scores of lawsuits filed against Toyota Motor Corp in U.S. federal courts over complaints of unintended acceleration are unlikely to go to trial for at least two years, the judge overseeing the cases said on Friday.

U.S. District Judge James Selna told lawyers at a status conference that he expected so-called bellwether cases — those he will choose to serve as guides for how the rest of the litigation might proceed — to be ready for trial during the first quarter of 2013.

More than 100 separate lawsuits brought in federal courts across the United States against the Japanese automaker were consolidated last April for pretrial proceedings and assigned to Selna in Santa Ana, California. That number has since grown to over 200. Scores more are pending in various state courts around the country.

Read the complete Reuters story, “First Toyota acceleration trials unlikely for 2 years.”

The first of scores of lawsuits filed against Toyota Motor Corp in U.S. federal courts over complaints of unintended acceleration are unlikely to go to trial for at least two years, the judge overseeing the cases said on Friday.

U.S. District Judge James Selna told lawyers at a status conference that he expected so-called bellwether cases — those he will choose to serve as guides for how the rest of the litigation might proceed — to be ready for trial during the first quarter of 2013.

More than 100 separate lawsuits brought in federal courts across the United States against the Japanese automaker were consolidated last April for pretrial proceedings and assigned to Selna in Santa Ana, California. That number has since grown to over 200. Scores more are pending in various state courts around the country.

Read the complete Reuters story, “First Toyota acceleration trials unlikely for 2 years.”