Minnesota Man Freed From Prison in Runaway Toyota Case
Minnesotan Koua Fong Lee is a free man today after Ramsey County District Court Judge Joanne Smith ruled that new evidence supports his innocence, attorneys say.
The ruling comes after a four-day hearing over a cruise control problem in the Toyota Camry that Mr. Lee was driving in a 2006 crash that claimed the lives of three people and resulted in a prison sentence for Mr. Lee. Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner has said prosecutors would not seek a new trial.
Attorneys Robert Hilliard from the Corpus Christi, Texas-based law firm of Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP and Brent Schafer of Minneapolis argued in court that an inspection of Mr. Lee's vehicle found a cable actuator in the cruise control mechanism that is still stuck in the open position, which would have caused the car to accelerate uncontrollably. Once the mechanism is stuck, the vehicle's brakes are unable to slow the car.
At trial, 11 owners of similar Toyota models testified that they experienced the same sudden, unintentional acceleration in their cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received numerous reports of sudden acceleration in older Toyota vehicles. Mr. Hilliard says that Toyotas made prior to 2003 and equipped with cruise control are in danger of the cable defect, and unfortunately the problem only shows up over time.
"The recent media storm over Toyota vehicles is focused on electronic problems in newer vehicles," says Mr. Hilliard. "But the dirty little secret is that a deadly defect in older Toyotas has been around for years, and folks may know nothing about it until it's too late."
Mr. Hilliard says prosecutors in at least three states are reevaluating cases of fatal accidents involving older Toyotas, and that the "Toyota Defense" used in Mr. Lee's trial could help in those cases.
In June 2006, Mr. Lee was driving his Toyota Camry when it unexpectedly accelerated before crashing into another car and killing Javis Adams, 33, his son Javis Adams Jr., 10, and his niece Devyn Bolton, 7. Mr. Lee was convicted of criminal vehicular homicide in October 2007 and sentenced to eight years in prison.
The ruling in Mr. Lee's case, Koua Fong Lee v. State of Minnesota, No. 62-K8-07-000965, was handed down August 5, 2010.
For more than 25 years, Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP has represented individuals from across the United States in a variety of personal injury, breach of contract, fraud and negligence claims, including cases involving refinery explosions, trucking accidents, toxic exposure, and dangerous prescription drugs. More information on the firm is found at http://www.hmglawfirm.com/ or http://www.toyotasafetylawyer.com
The ruling comes after a four-day hearing over a cruise control problem in the Toyota Camry that Mr. Lee was driving in a 2006 crash that claimed the lives of three people and resulted in a prison sentence for Mr. Lee. Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner has said prosecutors would not seek a new trial.
Attorneys Robert Hilliard from the Corpus Christi, Texas-based law firm of Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP and Brent Schafer of Minneapolis argued in court that an inspection of Mr. Lee's vehicle found a cable actuator in the cruise control mechanism that is still stuck in the open position, which would have caused the car to accelerate uncontrollably. Once the mechanism is stuck, the vehicle's brakes are unable to slow the car.
At trial, 11 owners of similar Toyota models testified that they experienced the same sudden, unintentional acceleration in their cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received numerous reports of sudden acceleration in older Toyota vehicles. Mr. Hilliard says that Toyotas made prior to 2003 and equipped with cruise control are in danger of the cable defect, and unfortunately the problem only shows up over time.
"The recent media storm over Toyota vehicles is focused on electronic problems in newer vehicles," says Mr. Hilliard. "But the dirty little secret is that a deadly defect in older Toyotas has been around for years, and folks may know nothing about it until it's too late."
Mr. Hilliard says prosecutors in at least three states are reevaluating cases of fatal accidents involving older Toyotas, and that the "Toyota Defense" used in Mr. Lee's trial could help in those cases.
In June 2006, Mr. Lee was driving his Toyota Camry when it unexpectedly accelerated before crashing into another car and killing Javis Adams, 33, his son Javis Adams Jr., 10, and his niece Devyn Bolton, 7. Mr. Lee was convicted of criminal vehicular homicide in October 2007 and sentenced to eight years in prison.
The ruling in Mr. Lee's case, Koua Fong Lee v. State of Minnesota, No. 62-K8-07-000965, was handed down August 5, 2010.
For more than 25 years, Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP has represented individuals from across the United States in a variety of personal injury, breach of contract, fraud and negligence claims, including cases involving refinery explosions, trucking accidents, toxic exposure, and dangerous prescription drugs. More information on the firm is found at http://www.hmglawfirm.com/ or http://www.toyotasafetylawyer.com
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