U.S. judge to hear Toyota suits in Calif.

WASHINGTON, April 10 (UPI) -- About 100 sudden-acceleration lawsuits against Toyota Motor Corp. will be heard by a U.S. district court judge in California, a federal panel has decided.

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruled U.S. District Judge James V. Selna would hear the cases, filed throughout the country, in his Santa Ana courtroom.

The Wall Street Journal reports Selna's appointment marks a significant first step toward resolving the suits, which seek damages against the Japanese automaker based on a wide range of complaints from loss in resale value to deaths or serious injuries in accidents.

In the panel's order, its chairman, Judge John Heyburn II, called Selna "well-regarded and skilled."

"Judge Selna's 28 years of private law practice at the very highest levels and in some of the most complex cases leaves him well prepared for a case of this magnitude," Heyburn said.

Toyota said it was happy with the panel's ruling. The automaker has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide in recent weeks.

Among dozens of federal suits, more than 80 seek class-action status, while many others have been filed in local courts, the Journal said.

Selna will decide whether to combine the federal cases into class actions and rule on evidence and experts, said Richard J. Arsenault, a Louisiana attorney who has filed suits against Toyota.

Selna, a 2003 appointee of former President George W. Bush, has handled numerous complex corporate cases.