Former In-House Attorney for Toyota Describes Company’s Culture of “Hypocrisy and Deceit”

According to a former in-house lawyer for Toyota, the automaker’s sudden acceleration problems aren’t due to sticky gas pedals or floor mat jams. Instead, Dimitrios Biller alleges that it’s a problem with the electronic throttle control. In a recent interview with ABC News, Biller described a culture of “hypocrisy and deceit” within Toyota and claims that the automaker has a history of hiding evidence of safety defects from consumers and regulators.

Biller worked for Toyota between 2003 and 2007 defending the company from rollover accident lawsuits. Biller sued Toyota in July 2009 under federal racketeering laws, alleging that the company withheld data in civil lawsuits and from the government that showed safety problems with their vehicles that contributed to injuries and even deaths in rollover accidents. Toyota countersued soon after, arguing that Biller had no evidence to prove that the company concealed evidence in the product-liability lawsuits brought against it. In original court filings, Toyota argued that Mr. Biller was a disgruntled employee with a vendetta against the automaker and a “history of breaking his word”. For a more detailed description of the case and events preceding the lawsuit, please visit this site.

Unfortunately, an arbitrator in the federal lawsuit recently issued a preliminary injunction that prevents Biller from revealing documents that he claims show Toyota’s carelessness in regards to the safety of its vehicles. However, the arbitrator also ruled that Biller would not have to return the documents to Toyota like the company had requested. Instead, the two boxes containing the Toyota documents will remain sealed until the arbitrator issues a ruling on the merits of the case.