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Prius Lawsuit

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by hobba, Jun 8, 2009.

  1. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    This is a very old quarrel. There were threads about it way back in 2004 IIRC. As folks above have noted, the EPA does the testing, and prohibits the auto makers from giving other FE information.

    I bought my 2004 Prius in January of 2004 while living in Fargo, North Dakota. Twenty degrees below zero Fahrenheit and a short ten-minute commute to and from work. I got 29 mpg. EPA said 60 mpg. I was very upset. But a lawsuit??? Gimme a break! Shortly afterwards, I joined PC and learned about winter and short drives and the bladder.

    I agree with the poster above (even if it is her/his first post here) who suggests that we offer to testify on Toyota's behalf. (Welcome to PriusChat, TeeCee.) Except that as others have suggested, it will never get to court.

    Those EPA numbers are inflated, but it's not Toyota's fault, and they are averages. Driving conditions and styles differ. That's why it says YMMV on the sticker. Maybe I should sue Dave in OlyWA because he gets better mileage than I do. (NOT!)
     
  2. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I think I should call the lawyers. In fact, I think we all should call the lawyers. Shoot, I'll send them the link to my mileage chart. I wonder how far they would pursue their suit if they received calls from hundreds of Prius owners who are willing to testify that through regular and normal driving conditions the EPA regulated numbers are TOO LOW.
     
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Sketchy...
    Their web site is a single page with the only active link being for the e-mail.
    Initiative Legal Group, LLP

    And the attorney doesn't appear to be with the Initiative group any more:
    Stephen Gamber: ZoomInfo Business People Information
    Huron Maki & Johnson LLP - Jennifer Raphael Komsky - [Cached Version]
    Published on: 1/29/2005 Last Visited: 1/29/2005 Stephen H. Gamber
    ...
    Stephen H. Gamber has joined Huron Maki & Johnson as an associate.Mr. Gamber received his B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1980 and his J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1994.He also received an MBA from San Diego State University in 1984.Mr. Gamber was an associate at the Initiative Legal Group.



    And an overview page:
    Law Firm Overview | Initiative Legal
    Law Firm Overview

    INITIATIVE LEGAL GROUP, LLP
    Fighting for consumers, employees, and you.
    Initiative’s mission is to see that employees are treated fairly; that consumers get what they pay for; and that the laws work for the people they are intended to help, especially those who can’t afford to pay a lawyer out of pocket to protect their rights.
    We have taken on some of the country’s biggest corporations and major employers. Always ready to fight to the end, we have negotiated favorable settlements totaling tens of millions of dollars on behalf of our clients. And we only earn our fees when we successfully recover money for our clients.
    Initiative’s lawyers are committed to plaintiffs’ causes. Some of our lawyers, however, have experience at leading “mega” law firms, giving us knowledge of the tactics used by well-financed, multi-national law firms to shield their corporate clients from accountability. Our attorneys attended leading law schools including Harvard, UCLA, Stanford, Berkeley, Loyola, USC, and New York University.
    Initiative focuses its practice in the following areas:
    Employment Disputes - Initiative represents employees who have been wrongfully discharged, not paid for all hours worked, victims of sexual harassment or subjected to other workplace violations.
    Consumer Protection and Product Liability - Initiative represents consumers who have bought fraudulent, dangerous, defective, or misleadingly advertised products and suffered either a monetary loss, bodily injury, or both.

    ERISA/Employee Benefits
    - Initiative represents employees whose pension or 401(k) plans have lost value due to bad investments or who have been denied coverage by the health care plan or HMO they relied on before they got sick.
    Qui Tam/False Claims Act - Initiative represents “whistle blowers” who report misconduct, fraud or theft in the workplace.
    Personal Injury - Initiative represents victims of conduct resulting in serious, long-term or permanent injury. Initiative also represents surviving family members in wrongful death actions.
    Unsafe Prescription Medication - Initiative represents those who have been prescribed drugs by a doctor, only to discover serious health consequences caused by the prescription drugs.
    Elder Abuse - Initiative represents the families of parents and other elder relatives and elderly individuals who have been financially or physically abused by caregivers, whether in institutional settings or otherwise.
    If you have any questions, please contact Stephen Gamber, Esq., our client relations director, at 310.556.5637 or 800.519.5541 or email him at [email protected].
     
  4. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    We must have used the same cologne, but I had just the opposite problem. It was downright scary, especially when they whipped out the strap-on.

    It was exciting, but left me emotionally scarred
     
  5. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Anybody else think the ambulance chasing lawyers are just getting really old?
     
  6. a priori

    a priori Canonus Curiosus

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    Whew! I'm glad it is only the ambulance-chasing lawyers who are getting old. I was starting to think that little hitch in the giddy-up might just become permanent.
     
  7. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    a lawsuit against the government?? because that is what it would be. considering Toyota amongst other car manufacturers lobbied the EPA to create a realistic test and that is why the EPA was changed from 55 to 47 MPG on the classics means that some lawyer is hoping to get enough idiots to speak FOR THEM in hopes of making them some money.

    what they will do is drag it thru court hoping for a settlement, take their 30% AFTER expenses and spend the next two weeks in the Bahamas
     
  8. swi66

    swi66 Member

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    Many years ago, back in the 70's I worked at a Ford Dealership. This was during the first energy crisis.
    The EPA stickers were a bit unrealistic. Offering the consumer 17 MPG, when under the best circumstances a car could get no better than 15 mpg unless driven by a professional driver under "perfect" conditions.
    As low man at the dealership, I got all the warranty whiners complaining their car does not get the advertised mileage. I was told to bring the car in, check under the hood, don't mess with anything, and tell them to try it again.
    I did one day tell a customer who had brought his car back 4 times that there was no way in the world the car would bet that extra 2-3 MPG and get over it. He told me the salesman told him it would get the mileage advertised. I told him the salesman lied.................almost got me fired.

    By the way, except under severe winter conditions, I consistantly get better than advertised with my 08 Prius.

    A lawsuit like this happens every day, and what gives lawyers the deserved bad name.
     
  9. subarutoo

    subarutoo New Member

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    Hang the lawyers and the horese they rode in on.
     
  10. EZW1

    EZW1 Active Member

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    This will get thrown out of court.
     
  11. hobba

    hobba New Member

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    Interesting.....of the 29 responses to my original post, no one else received a copy of the same letter. They claim in the letter that they got my/our contact information from Toyota.

    "The fish stinks from the head down..."
     
  12. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    ya know, i may have but it would have been discounted so quickly and deleted and frankly... something that takes up 15 seconds of my time simply would not have stayed in my memory for very long
     
  13. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    "Your honor, let me enter as evidence a recording of Road & Track, a Car & Driver article, and a white paper from Consumer Reports. All of these items, when combined with a picture taken of the Sudsbury, Canada, nickel mine, prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Prius is a menace to society, a really bad idea, and a danger to anyone who drives one, sees one, speaks of one, or knows someone whose aunt's boyfriend's hair stylist's sister's dog chased once."

    "Oh and if it pleases the court: they kill blind people too."

    "The prosecution rests."
     
  14. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    --post withdrawn--
     
  15. Rangerdavid

    Rangerdavid Senior Member

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    Man, I hope toyota doesn't sue me for getting above the EPA estimated mileage for a 2006 Prius. I would, however, be willing to testify as an "expert" for Toyota for a lease on one of the Plug In Prii coming out soon.



    **edit
    actually, their web site is the only legal web site I've ever seen that has no firm resume, description, attorneys listing, etc. www.initiativelegal.com interesting. could be a scam.
     
  16. Norm611

    Norm611 Junior Member

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    Don't take it out on the horses. They are just victims of the lawyers too.
     
  17. a priori

    a priori Canonus Curiosus

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    David,

    I know neither you nor I practice in California, so perhaps this is a question for hill: Can a law firm do business under an assumed name or an organized entity that doesn't include the name of a partner in that firm who is licensed to practice law in the State of California?

    Can't happen in my jurisdiction, so something like this makes me more than a little suspicious.
     
  18. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    'Going to trial' is not usually on the minds of lawyers who pursue these kinds of complaints. They are called nuisance lawsuits, and are intended to pull some money out of the defendant to settle out of court, rather than pay their lawyers in court.

    I suspect that Toyota will not go that route, because they know it will open the floodgates to a thousand more. I recommend these bottom feeding lawyers pursue Viagra instead.
     
  19. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    My sticker clearly states 60mpg city & 51mpg highway. I don't have 100 miles of city driving on the odo. My lifetime average is 53mpg.

    With all due respect, those complaining about inflated EPA numbers seem to either need to learn to drive more efficiently and/or configure the car properly. If your trips are only 5 minutes then it is unrealistic to expect any vehicle to hit its EPA rating.
     
  20. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I knew there had to be something in your past that made you bristle when I mentioned the freaky girl and a stick!