LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) -- A former lawyer of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. filed a lawsuit against the company in late July, alleging he was pressured to conceal information from victims of rollover accidents involving sport utility vehicles and trucks, U.S. media reported Tuesday.
In the lawsuit, Dimitrios Biller accused the U.S. unit of Toyota Motor Corp. of destroying data on more than 300 accidents that proved vehicle roofs were substandard, the Los Angeles Times reported in its Monday edition.
Biller, who worked for Toyota Motor Sales from 2003 to 2007, was involved in defending the company in rollover accident cases, the newspaper said.
In response to the accusation, Toyota's U.S. unit issued a statement saying, "Toyota takes its legal obligations seriously...Mr. Biller continues to make inaccurate and misleading allegations about Toyota's conduct."
"Toyota has initiated proceedings against Mr. Biller, and we intend to defend against Mr. Biller's claims vigorously," the document said.
Biller brought the case to federal court in Los Angeles in July.
