A federal judge in California has ordered the dismissal of a case against Toyota Motor Corp. in which the automaker is accused of making defective vehicles that caused injury and death through unexpected acceleration. The suit is just one of hundreds of similar business lawsuits filed against Toyota by people who were injured or who lost family members due to Toyota vehicles' sudden acceleration issues.

According to Judge James Selna of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the case's dismissal was due to his court's lack of jurisdiction. Because the accident at issue in this specific case occurred in Utah, he said, the case should be heard and decided in Utah state court, not a federal court in California.

Since 2009, Toyota has recalled millions of its vehicles after consumers began reporting sudden acceleration issues caused by sticky gas pedals and obstructive floor mats. Following the recalls, hundreds of state and federal personal injury and business lawsuits were filed against the automaker, with claims ranging from wrongful death to economic loss in connection with the recalled vehicles' resale price.

The majority of the cases were consolidated into multi-district litigation in the federal court in California. In June, Judge Selna selected the Utah case as the first to be heard in court, with the trial date set for February of 2013. It is unclear why, just four months after he made that decision, the judge decided to send that case to state court.

Judge Selna has not yet announced which case will take the Utah case's place in the first trial. We will continue to update our blog with any new developments.

Source: Reuters, "Judge throws out Toyota bellwether case," Moira Herbst, Sept. 29, 2011