Filed under: Government/Legal
BREAKING: California judge throws out lawsuit against automakers
You might recall about this time last year, California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer filed a lawsuit in Northern California's U.S. District Court asserting that automakers selling vehicles in the Golden State were liable for the hundreds of millions of dollars of damages its products cause. That lawsuit, which named GM, Ford, Toyota, DaimlerChrysler, Honda and Nissan as the defendants, was thrown out today by a federal judge.
Martin Jenkins, the U.S. District Judge presiding on the case, said that it was impossible to assess how much responsibility automakers had in contributing to the damage caused by global warming in California. Furthermore, he went on to say that lawmakers – not judges – should be the ones responsible for determining if automakers should be held accountable.
[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Alex 8:49PM (9/17/2007)
so there are people in California who are not drinking the kool-aid. go figure.
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World is sane once again 8:51PM (9/17/2007)
You kinda just want to add an "Amen!" to the end of that post...as well as a well-deserved "Bill Lockyer is an ambitious, attention-craving idiot"
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Tristan 9:11PM (9/17/2007)
I misplel adn its my keybrds fault.
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whofan 9:18PM (9/17/2007)
If California went back to the horse and buggy, They`d bitch about how much methane gas the animals produced.
Thank God somebody has some common sense!
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J C 3 9:31AM (9/18/2007)
I once had a arguement with a left winger who insisted we'd be better off with horses.I guess He didn't take into consideration the amount of horse poop thayt would create in the streets.Suffice it to say he drove a powder blue Ford Tempo beater.
Cervus 9:59PM (9/17/2007)
Regardless of what you think of the climate change issue, that lawsuit had "election year stunt" written all over it.
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Bob 10:25PM (9/17/2007)
Apparently common sense is not entirely dead in California.
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Viv 10:35PM (9/17/2007)
sanity stills exists in this world.
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John Cressy 10:41PM (9/17/2007)
yes, They always say fads start on the left coast and move east. Let's hope this fad catches on.
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Dinger 11:05PM (9/17/2007)
So then this was not the 9th circuit?
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Talis 11:10PM (9/17/2007)
holly $^!%! There is one sane person living in CA! It's an act of God! Then again, the judge apparently never said that Global warming is itself BS. All he really said is that it would be too much work to figure out just how much damage was done.
What is odd is that not ALL car makers are at fault but Just GM, Ford, Toyota, DaimlerChrysler, Honda and Nissan. Why not BMW and VW? Their cars are driving around CA and they produce just as much exhaust as the rest.
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Barney 11:19PM (9/17/2007)
There are provinces in Canada that are suing tobacco companies for the health problems caused by their product. The provinces can afford to do it from the revenue they make on tobacco tax's.
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Sandeep 1:37AM (9/18/2007)
Putting tax money to work, evidently. There's a first for everything.
Barney 11:17PM (9/18/2007)
"There's a first for everything."
They would have to ban it, to be first. Making money on tobacco is lucrative for all levels of government.
frrs 11:52PM (9/17/2007)
Wow, you non-Californian's sure are hilarious.
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Alex 10:50AM (9/18/2007)
we just wish you californians had a sense of humor ;)
Rob 12:45AM (9/18/2007)
I hear they are going after the sun next. Watch out sun! After all, it is the real cause.
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Valentino Amoro 2:34AM (9/18/2007)
Thank god this hippie bill was nipped at the bud. Good job!
Socky 5:20AM (9/18/2007)
Hopefully airplanes are not the next in line :o
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Harrity 9:06AM (9/18/2007)
I would like to see the automakers sue this guy personally for libel/slander. Ruin the lowlife's career.
At the minimum, he ought to be fired for wasting California taxpayers' money and the court's time on an absurd lawsuit that had no chance of succeeding (even in California). This is the Attorney General of the most populous state in the nation, for crying out loud. Can you imagine the outrage if Ashcroft or Gonzales had tried a stunt like this?
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