Today, the law firm of Baron and Budd, together with co-counsel Labaton Sucharow LLP and Podhurst Orseck P.A., filed the nation’s first lawsuit regarding the recent recall of Takata-brand air bags that were placed in nearly eight million vehicles.
According to numerous consumer reports, the air bags, when deployed, can propel metal pieces similar to shrapnel, causing serious, and sometimes even fatal, injuries to drivers and passengers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported at least six deaths related to the air bags in Florida alone.
"In addition to filing the complaint, we have also asked the Court to order expedited discovery necessary to determine whether Takata and the vehicle manufacturers need to do more than simply issue sporadic and incomplete recalls. There is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there about this air bag recall"
The Baron and Budd case was filed today in the Southern District of Florida.
"In addition to filing the complaint, we have also asked the Court to order expedited discovery necessary to determine whether Takata and the vehicle manufacturers need to do more than simply issue sporadic and incomplete recalls. There is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there about this air bag recall," said Roland Tellis, shareholder at Baron and Budd.
"We need to know what Takata communicated with the car manufacturers, as well as what was communicated-or not communicated-to the government. The big question is whether or not Takata and the car manufacturers have done enough to protect public safety."
As revealed in The New York Times September investigation, Honda and Takata failed for years to take decisive action regarding the dangerous, and potentially life-threatening, air bags. Even after manufacturers issued the recent recall, notices have been slow to go out and when consumers contact their local dealerships to have the problem fixed, they are often finding that it will take months to have the air bags replaced -- with few options in the interim but to hope they don't get into an accident.
