SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- A federal judge in California says hundreds of lawsuits filed against Toyota over possible sudden-acceleration defects can move forward.
U.S. District Judge James Selna on Friday denied a motion made by the automaker to dismiss the lawsuits. Selna took a similar stance in November when Toyota made the same request. He will likely issue a final ruling within 10 days.
Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed since Toyota began recalling millions of vehicles because of acceleration problems in several models and brake defects with the Prius hybrid. Selna's decision Friday dealt with claims made by Toyota drivers who said the problems caused the value of their vehicles to plummet.
An email seeking comment from Toyota wasn't immediately returned.
The first trials dealing with acceleration issues are expected in 2013.