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TORRANCE, Calif. — Toyota officials applauded a decision by the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California that's involving their multidistrict litigation stemming from vehicle recalls and safety concerns.

The automaker agreed with the court's choice to approve a joint Phase I discovery plan it previously submitted.
"We are pleased that the court has approved the agreement we reached with plaintiffs' counsel that establishes an equitable discovery process for this complex litigation," OEM officials said in a statement released this week.

"Both sides have worked hard to sculpt a discovery schedule that will provide the plaintiffs with relevant information to evaluate the technology involved," they continued.

The automaker performed more than 3 million remedies to rectify a series of recalls for Toyota and Lexus models. Still a storm of legal proceedings has followed with cases seeking damages for lost residual value, civil liability and other matters.

Federal court proceedings began May 13, and reports have indicated that some lawyers estimate Toyota faces potential liability of more than $10 billion.

"Toyota looks forward to defending this case, and we are confident that reliable scientific evidence will demonstrate the safety of our vehicles," the automaker concluded in its recent statement.