In the News Today – October 25, 2013

An Oklahoma jury ordered Toyota to pay $3 million in compensatory damages for electronic defects that caused a vehicle to accelerate out of control into a wall, the first time a jury has determined that faulty electronics caused a crash. Deliberations on punitive damages start on Friday. Los Angeles Times

A court rejected class certification in a suit accusing a law school of duping its students by inflating its employment stats. National Law Journal ($)

The SEC’s whistleblower chief announced he might encourage tipsters to report allegations of fraud directly to his office if courts continue to roll back protections. Main Justice ($)

In the first major out-of-court settlement stemming from the decertified Engle litigation, tobacco company Liggett Group agreed to pay $110 million to resolve more than 4,900 claims. WSJ Law Blog