Archive

Hyundai/Kia – Auto Safety ($210 million)

Constantine Cannon represented a whistleblower in a submission under the Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act, alleging critical engine defects in millions of Hyundai/Kia vehicles.  In November 2020, Hyundai/Kia agreed to pay combined penalties of up to $210 million, the largest such penalties ever assessed against a carmaker.  And in November 2021, our client received a whistleblower award of $24.3 million, the largest award ever made under the auto safety whistleblower program.  Read more -- Reuters, NPR, CNN, NHTSA, CC.

Takata - Auto Safety ($1 billion)

Constantine Cannon represented two whistleblowers in a submission under the Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act, alleging serious defects in Takata airbags which exploded and claimed the lives of 22 people and set off a worldwide recall of nearly 100 million airbag inflators.  In January 2017, Takata pled guilty to wire fraud and agreed to pay $1 billion in criminal penalties stemming from the company’s fraudulent conduct in relation to sales of defective airbag inflators.  The whistleblower awards our clients received in March 2018 were the first ever made under the Auto Safety Whistleblower Program.  Read more -- NPR, WSJ, Reuters, CC.