The Latest: New Mexico files lawsuit over faulty air bags
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on New Mexico's lawsuit against air bag maker Takata (all times local):
2:45 p.m.
New Mexico is suing Japanese manufacturer Takata and a long list of automakers in connection with the sale of cars with dangerous air bag inflators.
Attorney Hector Balderas' office filed the lawsuit Friday afternoon in state district court, saying the manufacturers had a duty to ensure their products were safe and that concealment of air bag defects amounted to unfair and deceptive trade practices under New Mexico law.
The state is seeking a jury trial as well as civil penalties.
A Takata spokesman declined to comment on the litigation.
Takata already has agreed to pay $1 billion in fines and restitution as part of plea agreement with the U.S. Justice Department over the yearslong scheme to conceal the deadly defect in its inflators. It also faces class-action lawsuits as well as litigation filed last year by the state of Hawaii.
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3 a.m.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas has announced a lawsuit against Japanese manufacturer Takata and a long list of automakers in connection with the sale of cars with dangerous air bag inflators.
The attorney general's office argues in a lawsuit being filed Friday that the manufacturers had a duty to ensure their products were safe and that concealment of air bag defects amounted to unfair, deceptive and unconscionable trade practices under New Mexico law.
Takata already has agreed to pay $1 billion in fines and restitution as part of plea agreement with the U.S. Justice Department over the yearslong scheme to conceal the deadly defect in its inflators. It also faces class-action lawsuits as well as litigation filed last year by the state of Hawaii.
A Takata spokesman declined comment Friday.
Aside from targeting the air bag manufacturer, New Mexico's case also spreads the blame to numerous automakers that used the faulty bags in their vehicles.
