7:55 am Trucks
An employee at a California plant run jointly by General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Co. is accusing her managers of allowing serious defects to go unchecked, including faulty seat belts and braking, and retaliating when she resisted, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month.
In the case before Alameda County Superior Court in California, Katy Cameron, a certified auditor who has worked for 23 years at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., alleges management routinely deleted or downgraded defects from her reports on vehicles since 2005.
The lawsuit, filed Nov. 6, demands unspecified damages for retaliation against a whistle-blower and intentional infliction of emotional distress from New United, Toyota, Toyota in North America and GM.
Cameron has been getting medical treatment for stress, depression, fatigue, insomnia and panic attacks, the lawsuit, and she is on medical leave.
Toyota declined to comment on the suit, saying it was still looking into the allegations. But it did release a statement saying it was “tackling quality problems as a top priority.”
New United spokesman Lance Tomasu said he could not comment on the lawsuit.
GM spokesman Tom Wickham deferred comment to Tomasu.